Submitted by Dacon Corporation
All photos by Ali Kidder
Boston – Dacon has completed the new location for Designers Choice, a distributor of cut flowers in New England. The project was designed by PDA, Dacon’s in-house design group, with Leah Smith Perez as project coordinator. The project manager was Luisa Sheahan.
This facility will house the distribution of a portfolio spanning 500 varieties across 33 flower types to wholesale florist channels, as well as its signature brand Benchmark Growers to prominent retailers and e-commerce channels.
Prominent brands including Amazon, and Life is Good are supplied by Designers Choice. Designers Choice is a partner within the Queen’s Bouquet Network, a global breeder noted for producing a billion flowers annually.
Distribution center
A strong proponent of business ethics, Designers Choice is known for consistent quality, fair pricing, employee well-being and environmental sensitivity. Propagating a positive approach to change, it embraces a scientific view to beauty, working with 45 state-of-the-art suppliers in Bogota and Medellin, Colombia that are both Florverde Sustainable and Rainforest Alliance certified. As with other floral providers, it sits in a global supply chain that brings economic development to less advanced countries.
A conveyer belt holds flowers.
Ecuador and Colombia remain top exporters to the U.S., which imports 80% of its national floral supply. The U.S. market for cut flowers constitutes $7.5 billion (7%) of the global market. Prior to the pandemic, the industry employed over 83,000 people (Source: Properlyrooted.com). As a product expressing emotion, flowers are subject to fluxes in consumer demand for color, style, varietal type, and price, reflecting sentiments of celebration, design aspiration or remembrance. The firm’s portfolio is tailored to consumer preferences, holidays, and seasonal periods with types spanning focal, accent, and filler flowers. Floral designers and event management companies rely on Designers Choice to deliver a depth of unique varietals, abundant blooms, and diverse spectrum of color that results in impactful arrangements with a long life span.
Employees dining area
The design of this facility is reflective of the firm’s ethos on product and employee well-being. A preeminent issue was creating four different temperature zones ranging from 35 degrees to ambient for optimal product quality while not forsaking human comfort. Efficiency lies at the center of this floorplan: Four docking stations back into the cold storage and dry goods area for product unloading which opens to the main work floor space with four assembly lines. The finished product then leaves the assembly area via five additional docking stations. Additionally, a wholesale showroom, breakroom, executive office and amenities were installed. This design is in response to market growth and is focused on enhancing client service via operational efficiencies.
States Kevin Quinn, Dacon’s CEO, “From their business ethics to product quality, Designers Choice is an admirable company. By applying scientific growing principles to a simple product – flowers – they deliver an uplifting experience to the recipient. It is a rewarding business model and one we’ve enjoyed working with.”
Relocating from Chelsea, its former facility will be converted into a new business initiative within cannabis cultivation and distribution.
