There is an old adage that unity is strength, and in the history of J&S Flowers the full fulfillment of this well-known saying can be seen. The Zuluaga Gómez Family is originally from El Carmen de Viboral, a municipality in Eastern Antioquia. They are 11 brothers of peasant origin who have dedicated their whole lives to working in the fields and, mainly, to growing flowers and for many years they supported the business, but selling the product of their work to intermediaries.
Samuel, one of the brothers, and who was able to pursue professional studies in Electronic Engineering, already working in a private company that had nothing to do with flowers, was able to learn about the year 2014 and by asares del destination, the mechanics of flower marketing without intermediation, so, after proposing to his brother-in-law Juan David Jaramillo (husband of his sister Aida) the possibility of establishing a business dedicated to the commercialization of flowers, taking advantage of the family’s knowledge of the first and the more than 16 years of experience of the second in the cultivation of Hortensia, together they began to pursue this new dream, with some setbacks, solving problems and facing a number of challenges.
Samuel and Juan (S&J) linked the other Zuluaga brothers to the project, making these important contributions in manpower, experience, knowledge and dedication. In October 2014 the company was able to be established and by December 28 of that same year they already had the exporters registration issued by the ICA, so that immediately, in January 2015, the company began its trading activities and since then has registered a vertiginous growth related, not only to its organization and discipline, but to the values that guide it, the most important being the passion with which things are done and the responsibility they feel, not only in front of their clients, but also to with the enormous human team that works with them.
Now S&J Flowers generates 73 direct jobs, more than 30 indirect ones and supports the production of 115 farms from which it buys quality flowers and later sends its clients in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Dubai and South Africa.
Today, in addition to Samuel and Juan, the Zuluaga brothers continue at S&J Flowers, tending to various crops in various municipalities such as La Unión, El Santuario, Marinilla and El Carmen de Viboral, and on various fronts of the company such as administration, marketing, leadership room, among others.
On the other hand, in fulfillment of an important mission and attending to its marked social responsibility, S&J Flowers established in the municipality of El Carmen de Viboral La Casa del Agro, a warehouse for the sale of supplies for the production of flowers, which has become in an important support for producers with limited resources, since they not only find products at very low costs, but also have the option of taking them and then, with part of their flower production, they pay them, which allows not only strengthen their family finances, but manage excellent quality standards, since these inputs allow the farmer to meet the quality requirements and demands that characterize the company.
Currently, S&J Flowers sells different varieties of flower, mainly Hortensia, Rusco, Solidago, Pompon, Áster and Spider. It is a company that continues to grow, thanks to its organization and its economic model, and without losing sight of the social mission it has and with which it is generating development for the entire Eastern Antioquia region.
