With some 600 flower growers on its books, Multiflora is the largest flower auction house in Africa with a staff of 144 people hustling to keep pace with the frenetic action of the daily auctions.
At least 80% of the flowers on auction at Multiflora are grown within 300km of Johannesburg. The rest come from the Cape, Natal and the northern regions of the country, as well as from as far afield as Kenya, Zimbabwe and other African countries.
The auctions, which are held from Mondays to Saturdays from 7am, are attended by some 400 florists and wholesalers. The wholesalers then distribute the fresh flowers to almost every city, town and village in South Africa and, in some cases, export the blooms to other countries. Some of the wholesalers have retail outlets in the Multiflora Flower Hall and sell directly to florists and members of the public. Other services offered include creating gorgeous bouquets and packaging for supermarkets.
