As avid supporters of the farmworker community and the industry’s essential contribution to families across the globe, the Grace Rose Farm team is particularly passionate about the health and well-being of women on our farm and those who work at partner farms. Over the years, we have highlighted some of the dedicated women workers who have poured their energy and expertise into their roles to provide for their families and contribute to the success of the business.
Alexandra Farms was chosen as a Grace Rose Farm partner not only because of their exquisite Colombia-grown fresh cut garden roses, but because of the emphasis and are placed on their workers’ overall welfare and success – on the farm and at home.
For more than 60 years, the flower industry in Bogota, Colombia, has empowered women to be independent, self-sufficient leaders in their communities and their homes. Before the 1960s, it was nearly unheard of that women could work anywhere other than at home, taking care of children and family, until agriculturalists realized the prime growing opportunities of the savanna’s temperate climate. The lives of women in the Bogota savanna and their communities would be forever changed.
“When flower farms came around, women suddenly became the owners of their destiny,” says Alexandra Farms President Jose Azout. His company, which sits atop the fertile soil surrounded by the Andes Mountains in Bogota, is the largest garden rose grower in the world and proudly embraces the inclusion of women in all facets of the business.
A Membership
Today, at Alexandra Farms, 55% of the 400+ employees are women, and approximately half of those women are heads of household, many with children to support. While most of them work on the farms as general staff, 18 women hold executive positions, highlighting the importance of providing opportunities on every level of the business.
Unlike generations before them, women in the past few decades not only have the freedom to hold jobs and make a living, but they have a chance to grow in their careers. At Alexandra Farms, staff members are encouraged to pursue further education to perform their duties, fully funded by the company. “We’ve financed two or three executives to help them learn English and a few agronomists and supervisors to learn more about their fields,” Azout says.
And outside of their careers and roles at the farm? Azout says it’s just as important to ensure his workers have support in every aspect of their well-being and their families. That’s why the company also employs an in-house psychologist and social worker, provides frequent opportunities to meet with doctors and dentists at the farm, subsidizes 50% of lunches to support healthy eating, and provides educational training for personal growth and family counseling, among other benefits.
But the company’s assistance doesn’t stop at the workplace.
Alexandra Farms Human Resources Director Emilsen Cubillos says her department will meet with employees at their homes periodically to guide housekeeping, cleanliness, and general home maintenance. The company provides numerous avenues for employees to reach out for help, but community outreach is just another personal chance for employees to ask for help or request resources.
The proactive company action and open communication with employees have proven to make life simpler for the women on the farm and create a pay-it-forward effect on the others around them. “We’ve helped our employees deal with anger management, relationships, and family matters,” Azout says. “We certainly helped the community because by helping them, we’ve helped others. It’s a multiplying effect.”
There was a proud moment for the human resources team when 15 employees approached them about an issue they had obtaining homes through a particular company after submitting down payments but receiving no further information. The Alexandra Farms legal personnel pursued the company on behalf of their employees and successfully prompted the contractor to fulfill their obligations, putting those 15 employees into homes.
Being a valued part of a fast-moving industry provides comfort and stability to women who depend on the support of their employers to provide for their families, and the benefits are just extra incentives to being a part of the team.
Misconceptions
However, introducing women to the floral industry in Colombia hasn’t come without its concerns. Some have called the revolution a prime example of the exploitation of women on farms, while others have said women working on farms put their health at risk due to their exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.
But the reality, Azout says, is that the claims couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only are the women not being exploited on the farms, but they’re free from being bound to their homes. And they don’t touch the chemicals on the farms.
“There isn’t one female pesticide sprayer in the whole savanna of Colombia,” Azout says. Florverde Sustainable Flowers, an independent social and environmental standard for the flower sector, requires that companies do not allow women to spray and that men who do wear the appropriate attire.
Alexandra Farms is Florverde certified, meaning it continuously meets the organization’s social and environmental standards requirements and contributed to reducing pesticide use by 75% since implementing alternative methods. These methods include an integrated pest system, making pesticides the final option for defense and keeping the men and women on the farm out of harm’s way.
“Our motivation is the welfare of our people and to benefit our people,” Azout says, “along with profitability, of course. It makes business sense to have happy and healthy employees. If we decide to plant another hectare and we find it to be only marginally profitable, it doesn’t matter – we’re employing more people and bringing wealth into the world.”
Evolving Industry
As the years roll by in Colombia's evolving fresh floral industry, farms have made great strides in affecting global change economically, environmentally, and socially. The foundation and growth of this one industry alone has changed the blueprint for women and their entire communities throughout Bogotá and Medellin (the second-largest flower-producing area in Colombia) and has changed the dynamic forever.
Alexandra Farms takes great care to ensure the women on the farms are respected, appreciated, and equipped to grow with their personal and professional pursuits. The women working on the farms are dedicated and passionate about being a part of the company and place their appreciation into the garden roses that fuel creativity and joy across the globe.
It’s the opportunity female ancestors dreamed of: the freedom to shape the world and create a life made just for her.
In celebration of International Women’s Month in March, and women workers on the farm, Grace Rose Farm has donated bouquets to multiple Boys & Girls Club locations in California. These donations will allow participants an opportunity to spark joy for the women in their lives through vibrant floral arrangements.
