United Flower Growers Ltd

What United Flower Growers Ltd does

United Flower Growers Limited (UFG) is a New Zealand private company that operates the country's only live cut flower auction and a nationwide wholesale flower distribution network. The company connects approximately 350 growers to over 600 buyers across New Zealand through a cloud-based auction platform running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, supplemented by four physical wholesale branches in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill. UFG also operates an online pre-sale function allowing fixed-price purchases of up to 50% of inventory from 7pm the night before auction, a Virtual Wholesale platform for remote bidding, and a Grower Online Booking (GOB) system for consignment management.

The underlying technology is described as New Zealand's only cloud-based live cut flower trading platform, featuring runsheet product listings, real-time online bidding, integrated delivery logistics, and a multi-channel order entry system supporting in-person, phone, email and online purchase. Supporting infrastructure includes temperature-controlled storage, grading, labelling and nationwide courier delivery reaching 90% of New Zealand same-day and 100% within 24 hours.

UFG generates revenue through three primary streams: commission on auction sales (transaction-based take rate described as cheaper than wholesale mark-up), direct wholesale sales through its four branch locations, and direct supply of retail-ready bouquets and straight lines to major supermarket chains including PAK'nSAVE, Countdown, FreshChoice and Supervalue. Founded around 2006 and headquartered in Auckland, the company employs approximately 45 staff and operates as an independent private limited entity with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds or external investors.

Name

United Flower Growers Ltd

Legal name

United Flower Growers Limited

Website

https://ufg.co.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Flower Growers Limited operates New Zealand's only live cut flower auction, connecting 350 growers to over 600 buyers across four nationwide branches via a cloud-based trading platform, alongside direct wholesale and supermarket supply programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flower Wholesale and Auction

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Greenhouse Floriculture (Cut Flowers) (AFAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)

Keywords

• Flower auction services
• Wholesale flower distribution
• Floral marketplace platform
• Cut flower trading
• Florist supply services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission: UFG earns commission on all flower sales conducted through their live auction system. Growers consign flowers to UFG which are then sold via the auction clock system to buyers. Commission rates are stated to be cheaper than wholesale mark-up.
2. Wholesale Sales: Direct wholesale sales of flowers and plants through four physical branch locations across New Zealand. Buyers can purchase directly at branch stores.
3. Supermarket Supply: Supply of retail-ready bouquets and straight lines nationwide to major supermarket brands including PAK'nSAVE, Countdown, and FreshChoice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Flower Growers operates New Zealand's only live cut flower auction, connecting approximately 350 flower growers with over 600 buyers nationwide through a cloud-based trading platform. The company runs four wholesale branches across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Invercargill, providing grading, packing, and distribution services that enable 90% same-day and 100% within-24-hour delivery of fresh cut flowers.

Product overview

United Flower Growers operates New Zealand's largest flower marketplace, connecting 350 growers to over 600 buyers. The core offering is the Cloud Auction Platform - a live cut flower auction held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays where growers bring fresh blooms direct to market and buyers bid online. The platform includes an online pre-sale function allowing fixed-price purchases from 7pm the night before auctions. UFG also supplies retail-ready products to major supermarkets nationwide through its Supermarket/Retail Ready Program, offering everyday bouquets, premium bouquets, single varieties, and potted plants. The Grower Online Booking system enables growers to register and manage their inventory. Four wholesale branch locations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Invercargill provide in-person purchasing options alongside the digital auction platform. The company delivers to 90% of New Zealand same day and nationwide within 24 hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Cut Flower Auction Live in-person clock-tower cut flower auction held at the Auckland facility, where buyers bid on graded lots in real time. Serves florists, supermarkets, and wholesale buyers across New Zealand.
• Virtual Wholesale Platform (Online Auction) Cloud-based online auction and pre-sale platform that allows remote buyers to bid on cut flower lots from any location. Extends the reach of the live auction to nationwide buyers and supports fixed-price pre-sale purchases.
• Supermarket Retail-Ready Flower Supply Direct wholesale supply of graded, packed, and barcoded cut flowers to national supermarket chains including PAK'nSAVE, Countdown, FreshChoice, and Supervalue. Includes distribution to retail shelves with 90% same-day delivery.
• Wholesale Branch Network Network of four wholesale branches in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Invercargill that provide flower grading, packing, wholesale sales, and nationwide distribution with 100% within-24-hour delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of New Zealand receives delivery same day, 100% within 24 hours
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 1-800-Flowers.com: Large US-based floral and gifting retailer with consumer-facing e-commerce. Operates in a different geography and channel but shares the cut-flower supply chain through wholesale and grower relationships.
• Teleflora: Florist network service organization that supports florists with wire orders and branding. Adjacent incumbent serving a similar downstream buyer base (florists) to UFG's auction customers.
• Interflora: Global flower delivery network operating in NZ, sourcing from wholesale and grower channels. Adjacent incumbent in floral distribution with broader consumer-facing delivery rather than B2B auction focus.

Direct peers

• Landgard: German horticultural cooperative operating flower and plant auctions plus wholesale distribution to European retailers. Comparable auction + wholesale hybrid model similar to UFG's auction/wholesale/super-supply mix.
• Plantion: Dutch cooperative flower and plant auction serving growers and buyers in the Netherlands. Closely mirrors UFG's grower-cooperative auction structure with cloud-based trading tools.
• Royal FloraHolland: The world's largest flower auction operating a clock-based auction system connecting growers to buyers globally. Most directly comparable peer to UFG's live cut flower auction model, with similar commission economics but vastly greater scale and international reach.
• Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer: Historical Dutch cut flower auction that pioneered the clock auction model later adopted by UFG. Operates the same auction-mediated wholesale flow of cut flowers from grower to florist/retailer.

Regional players

• Frank Adams Wholesale Florist: Established NZ wholesale florist supplying florists and event customers domestically. Comparable NZ-based wholesale flower distribution model, though operates without the auction layer that is UFG's distinctive element.
• Singapore Flowers Auction (SFA): Operates cut flower auctions in Singapore. Comparable auction model serving growers and florists, but focused on Southeast Asian markets rather than competing with UFG in NZ.

Emerging players

• Direct2Florist: Online florist network connecting customers directly to local florists. A potential indirect disintermediation threat to UFG by enabling florists to source outside traditional wholesale channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ufgauckland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-flower-growers
• Instagraminstagram.com/ufg_auckland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Flower Growers Ltd