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Tilahun Kinfe, 38, was astonished on February 15,
2008, when comparing the way he saw Valentines Day
celebrated the day before and experiences some 10
years ago just after he returned from Nairobi after
a five-year stay. A supervisor in Cloud 9 Café and
Restaurant, he cannot help but imagine the way
things have changed through the years.
“I remember when I tried hard to get a red flower
for my girlfriend back then to no avail. In every
shop I visited, there was no such gift,” Tilahun
told Fortune.
A returnee from a country more adapted to the
western holidays, he was hoping to get some gifts
for his loved one when he realised that it was a
different story here in Ethiopia. But those days
have passed, according to the man who has spent over
16 years in the hospitality business.
“But now I am really perplexed. What I saw last
night was amazing. There were about 27 couples that
came to our restaurant and we were even unable to
accommodate those arriving at the last hour without
booking,” he explained.
The Valentine’s season was a time of business for
many. But the exponentially expanding flower
exporter, that earned 63.5 million dollars in
exports last fiscal year and are high on the
government priority list, along with freight service
providers, made the most out of it.
Tsegaye Abebe, chairman of the Ethiopian
Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association and
owner and director of ET-Highland Flora, told
Fortune that the Valentine’s season is one of
the peak seasons for flower exports.
“Red flowers are in high demand throughout the world
for this season so that every flower exporting
company enjoys huge revenues,” Tsegaye, who opened
his flower farm three years ago and now owns 23
greenhouses that employ more than 400 people, told
Fortune.
According to him, Ethiopia has exported from 1.5 to
two million flower stems daily to The Netherlands,
Germany, Japan, England, and Brussels amongst others
in the week leading up to Valentines Day.
Ethiopian Airlines was also busy transporting the
exporters’ products to their varied destinations.
Presently serving 68 flower exporters, the national
carrier has recently increased its fleet by leasing
B747F aircraft that increased its cargo capacity
from 63 to 88tns per flight during the month of
January 2008.
“The flower export volume increases during winter
months, peaking around Valentines Day,” Leul T.
Medhin, manager of Public Relations and Publications
at the Airline, told Fortune.
All flower exporters contacted by Fortune
contend that they are experiencing high demand for
their products as the quality and cheap price is
appealing to the many distributors, especially those
in Amsterdam who supply flowers to the rest of the
European continent.
“In addition to the six flights that exporters have
every day, there was a two-flight increase everyday
for the Valentines season that roughly amounts to
120tns of cargo,” Tsegaye disclosed.
Solomon Sebhatu, owner and manager of Menagesha
Flower, told the same rosy story to Fortune,
citing rising prices as a boon to the industry.
“There is a 30 to 40pc increase in price at this
time beginning around February 10. Accordingly, a
single stem that is normally sold for 10 euro cents
(1.35 Br) brings from 0.60 to 0.80 cents (from eight
to 11 Br) around Valentines Day,” said Solomon.
In the service sector local hotels, bars and
restaurants were busy last week preparing events to
accommodate couples for the lovers’ day. Realising
the population’s demand for special events, they
have offered candle-lit dinners, live music and
shows.
“The price tag for couples for the night was 250 Br
while singles paid 150 Br for food, wine, a flower
gift, different awards for couples winners and music
that has fascinated many of our predominately young
customers,” Tilahun told Fortune. “No one has
complained of the price because of the extensive
programme.”
His assertion seems to go in line with what Biruk G.
Hiwot, an employee of Awash Insurance SC, told
Fortune. He said that though the price seems to
have elevated through roof, it is not worrisome for
a once a year event in which someone expresses his
deepest love.
“It is fine by me but others who could not afford it
may miss the chance to celebrate the day,” he
sympathised.
Flower retailers were also overjoyed to be selling
flower at this time of year.
“We have sold around 2,000 flowers on Valentines Day
and from 1,000 to 1,500 stems on the days preceding
the holiday,” Fasika Ketsela, owner of California
Flower, a shop that has been in business for more
than 12 years, told Fortune. “This is a far
cry from the mere 800 or so stems that we sold last
year at the same time.”
According to her, a single stem that used to be sold
from 2.5 to three Birr has been sold for up to 10 Br
on Valentines Day, mirroring the equivalent increase
on the international market.
Valentines Day is named after two among the numerous
early Christian martyrs. The day is most closely
associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in
the form of “valentines”. Modern valentine symbols
include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of
the winged cupid.
“Though not an Ethiopian tradition originally,
Valentines Day is gaining popularity in the country.
I see this as one just instance where our culture is
undergoing continuous revolution, but for good this
time,” Zemach Mandefro, a restaurant owner around
the National Stadium, told Fortune. “It
allows lovers to express their feelings on a special
occasion and boosts businesses.”
Spending on Valentines Day is not peculiar to
Ethiopia, though. The United States (US) Greeting
Card Association estimates that approximately one
billion Valentine cards are sent each year
worldwide, making the day the second largest
card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.
Furthermore, the Association estimates that women
purchase approximately 85pc of all Valentine cards.
The holiday has not stopped on February 14, though.
According to DJ Same, who is the main event
organiser at Blue Star Club in Olympia, it will be
celebrated the whole week, as customers want to feel
the love in the air for a while.
“As a result, we held a ‘love concert’ on Saturday,
more convenient and still appealing to those who
wanted to continue or begin celebrations a afresh,”
he told Fortune.
It is certainly peak season for flower exporters who
envision fetching 166 million dollars in revenue for
the next year. Currently, Ethiopia exports more than
80 million stems a month to 40 countries. While 70pc
go to the Alsammeer Flower Auction in The
Netherlands, the rest goes to Germany, Britain,
Russia and, in smaller amounts, to the US and the
Middle East.
“I was envying the couples who come to celebrate as
I was working. I hope I will be able to partake next
year and enjoy it with my beloved wife,” Tilahun
concluded.
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