Naranjo Roses — Sustainable roses from Ecuador

It sounds romantic — and it is. But Naranjo Roses does more than just grow beautiful roses: they combine quality with concrete sustainable measures and social responsibility, straight from the Andes of Ecuador to your vase.

About Naranjo Roses — family business, Ecuadorian highlands, worldwide delivery

Naranjo is a family business with multiple production sites in the Ecuadorian highlands. They grow many varieties (more than 90 types of roses) at altitudes of around 3,000 metres, which ensures sturdy stems and long shelf life. They export to dozens of countries and profile themselves as a premium grower with a focus on quality and sustainability.

What does ‘sustainable’ mean at Naranjo?

Naranjo tackles sustainability on three fronts: the environment (water, energy, waste), certification & transparency, and social issues (employees & neighbourhood). They have recognised certifications and an official integrated policy that defines production, safety and ethics.

Specific sustainability measures (what exactly do they do?)

Certifications and systems — Naranjo has Flor Ecuador and Rainforest Alliance certification and works according to Good Agricultural Practices. This is not just marketing: it enforces policies for water management, ecosystem protection and working conditions.
Water management — rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation are standard practices among many Ecuadorian growers; Naranjo emphasises measures such as rainwater harvesting and ozone treatment of water to reduce consumption and chemicals.
Waste & recycling — composting plant waste and reusing organic material reduces fertiliser requirements and closes the cycle (scientific cases demonstrate this for Ecuadorian rose cultivation).
Biological control & integrated crop protection — where possible, biological or integrated pest control is used, which reduces pesticide use.
Packaging & logistics — optimisation of packaging (lighter boxes, less material) and attention to combined logistics to limit unnecessary transport movements.

The roses — Pink X-Pression, Country Home, Moonstone and Queen’s Crown

Short, appealing product paragraphs (optimised for consumer search terms).

Pink X-Pression — the expressive garden rose

A full, elegant pink garden rose with a high petal count and long vase life — perfect for romantic bouquets and weddings. Available in multiple lengths; popular for its shape and durability.

Country Home — rural charm from Ecuador

Rural, spacious head and beautiful white/cream tones — ideal for natural and country bouquets. Characterised by reliability and good cutting quality.

Moonstone — timeless white, versatile

An elegant white rose with good cutting quality; widely used in classic and modern arrangements. Naranjo promotes Moonstone as sustainably grown and of consistent quality.

Queen’s Crown — regal lavender/purple hue

A striking, voluminous rose with lavender/purple accents; popular for luxury bouquets and events. Naranjo grows this premium variety and distributes it to international markets.

‘But they still fly the roses to the Netherlands — is that sustainable?’ — honest answer

Short and honest: air freight increases transport CO₂, but the complete picture determines the environmental impact.

Life cycle analyses show that transport by plane is a significant contributor to the total footprint of imported cut flowers. Nevertheless, in some studies, Ecuadorian roses score better than Dutch roses grown locally in heated greenhouses — because greenhouses require a lot of energy for heating and lighting. In other words, air freight does not automatically negate sustainable intentions; cultivation methods and waste reduction also play an important role.
Practical measures that improve this: less waste due to longer vase life, smart chain logistics (consolidating shipments, multimodal transport where possible) and investments in more sustainable aviation fuels and offset programmes reduce the net impact. Naranjo and its chain partners invest in quality assurance and waste reduction (less waste = less extra transport per usable product).

In short: choose consciously, pay attention to certificates and vase life — that really makes a difference to the environmental balance sheet.

Employees and environment — people first

Naranjo pays explicit attention to social aspects: a large proportion of women in the workforce, local employment, training and community projects. They received recognition/appreciation for their eco- and social commitment (e.g. nominations/recognition from local banks/partners). All of this is in line with modern social responsibility.