DHL is preparing to deliver record numbers of fresh flowers across the U.S. this Valentine's Day. DHL this year anticipates delivery of over 10 million individual flower stems for delivery direct to retailers and consumers nationwide on or before February 14th, with the majority of this volume from floral e-tailers and retailers.

The majority of DHL's expedited floral shipments are imported from growers in Colombia and Ecuador. DHL Global Forwarding, part of the logistics arm of DHL, will be exporting from Latin America four times the volume of flowers during the Valentine's Day season. DHL consolidates floral parcels from growers, and protects the life of the flowers by using bonded cold storage facilities to keep product cool prior to air transport and immediately chilled upon arrival. Eighty percent of these floral shipments are destined for Miami where they undergo agricultural inspection at the terminal at Miami International Airport.

At the Miami gateway, DHL will leverage an expanded fleet of refrigerated trucks this year to transport flower shipments to its air and ground hub in Wilmington, Ohio, for the days leading up to February 14th. Floral shipments routed through Wilmington are sorted overnight and flown out to their final destinations nationwide just in time for presentation on February 14th. Additional DHL flights out of Miami on February 13th will also be dedicated exclusively for DHL's floral customers and their shipments.