How to receive a wholesale shipment of roses from Ecuador

Step 1. Prepare the receiving area

Before opening a box:

• Prepare a clean, level inspection surface.
• Provide good, neutral lighting so color and visible defects can be documented consistently.
• Prepare the receiving report or your approved checklist.
• Have a camera or phone ready for timestamped photographs and video.

Step 2. Inspect the outer packaging

Before moving or opening the boxes, record:

• Any dents, tears, wet areas, crushed corners, or tampering.
• Whether the box count matches the air waybill, packing list, and handover record.
• Whether the labels match the ordered variety, grade, length, pack, and lot reference.

Important: Photograph any packaging damage before opening or repacking the box.

Step 3. Measure and record temperature

Open the agreed sample and measure product temperature:

• Measure it with a suitable calibrated device. Compare the result with the written route and product specification: the agreed range for the classic cultivar and the agreed range for the garden-style cultivar, if a different range was agreed.
• If the roses feel warm to the touch, do not diagnose a cold-chain breach by touch alone. Record an actual reading, data-logger evidence if available, box condition, and elapsed time.

Step 4. Inspect a representative sample

Select stems from several positions in the box according to the agreed sampling plan and check:

Blooms:

• Cut stage and firmness match the cultivar specification; blooms are not visibly wilted.
• Record bruising, spotting, Botrytis or other mold symptoms, and discoloration.
• Handle gently and note abnormal petal drop without using a damaging shake test.

Stems:

• Stems are hydrated and structurally sound for the ordered grade.
• Cut ends are documented for discoloration, drying, or decay.
• Record cracks, kinks, and compression damage.

Foliage:

• Compare color and condition with the agreed tolerance.
• Record spotting, webbing, pests, disease symptoms, yellowing, and mechanical damage.

Step 5. Verify quantity

Each box should match the quantity stated in the packing documents:

• Use the packing list: check the declared pack count and compare it with the actual count using the counting method agreed with the supplier.
• Count by bunch or layer where that method is reliable, and perform a full count if the documents or sample do not reconcile.

Step 6. Document discrepancies and preserve evidence

If you find a discrepancy:

1. Take clear photographs and video showing the box label, overall lot, sample method, and close-up of each defect.
2. Complete a receiving or discrepancy report with the date, time, shipment references, quantities inspected, defect type, and affected quantity.
3. Send the evidence to the supplier within the claims window and through the channel stated in the contract. Do not assume a universal 24-hour rule.

Step 7. Condition the roses after inspection

Even an acceptable shipment has been through transport stress. Follow the cultivar- and supplier-specific protocol, which may include:

• Recut the stems with clean, sharp tools to the specified amount and method.
• Remove lower foliage that would sit below the water line.
• Place stems in clean water with the specified commercial flower food mixed at the label rate and approved for your process.
• Condition them in the specified cool environment for the protocol-defined period while monitoring hydration and condition.

Receiving checklist