Radar | Jul 28,2025
At 28, Kaleab Fekade thought he understood the cost of romance in Addis Abeba. He has been buying Valentine’s flowers for years, watching the city fold the imported ritual of February 14 into its own nightlife.
This season jolted him. For a package of flowers, chocolates, a small doll, and a gift card, he paid 3,200 Br, far more than he remembered paying before, even though he could not point to any old receipts. The city itself felt tighter. Traffic jams linked to last week’s African Union (AU) summit cut into the relaxed evening atmosphere that usually frames Valentine’s plans.
Kaleab's shock sat at the junction of two economies.
Ethiopia is now a major exporter of cut flowers, even as a domestic Valentine’s market has taken root in cities like Addis Abeba, Hawassa and Dire Dawa. Red roses anchor a gift basket of chocolates, greeting cards, balloons and small fashion or electronic items. Demand surged in the week before the day, with prices for roses and bouquets often doubling or tripling. Farms respond. During the Valentine’s window, they boost output by an estimated 30pc to 40pc, with roughly 15pc of that extra production believed to be sold domestically.
Export markets still dominate, however. A minimum floor-price regime keeps export roses from highland farms at four to five dollars a kilogram. In Addis Abeba, single red roses could sell for up to 200 Br around Valentine’s Day, compared with 30 to 60 Br in ordinary periods.
Tsion Daniel, who runs a shop inside Ethiopia Hotel Number 2, formerly Global Hotel, quoted up to 65 Br a stem in the season, up from 24 Br on a normal day. Domestic buyers face a sharp holiday premium.
“I recently joined the market," she told Fortune. "We're prepared to promote ourselves on Valentine’s Day, sponsoring flowers for the hotel.”
Shops have adapted to the calendar. Near Mexico Square, inside the Genet Hotel on Mozambique St., retailer Mena Ahmed saw red flowers, chocolates, and toys in strong demand. At Mena Flowers, a shop that has been in business for about five years with supplies from Bahir Dar and Bishoftu (Debre Zeit), her staff were busy in the days before February 14, arranging displays as orders picked up.
Bouquets sold for between 800 Br and 3,000 Br, and many customers chose ready-made packages that bundled flowers, chocolates, and small toys to suit different budgets.
"This is another reason for the increase in the cost of flowers that local buyers now face," said Tsion.
Across Addis Abeba, hotels and storefronts dressed themselves in red, clothing racks filled with crimson outfits, and event organisers pushed programmes on social media as young people pre-ordered flowers and gifts.
Kaleab saw that side of the business as an event organiser. Collaborations between hotels and planners have expanded, with more venues selling curated programmes for couples rather than simply tables. He believes these partnerships have given Valentine’s a more structured and commercial edge, turning it into a modest but visible pillar of the urban service economy.
One property preparing for the day was the Ethiopian Hotel’s branch on Sierra Leone St.
According to its Marketing Manager, Wubet Molla, management had planned a special programme that included a Candle Night.
“Our hotel is working on a special Valentine’s Day event," he said. "We would take proper care of our customers who choose to come to us.”
He noted that many events in the city were large packages planned months in advance, with organisers investing heavily in promotion and inviting singers, poets and comedians.
Seasonal pressure extended far beyond flowers. In the Qerra neighbourhood, designer Haregewoin Tadesse, 25, founder of “Etege Topaz,” sold dinner dresses for 8,000 Br last week, the same items she usually sells for 3,000 Br to 5,000 Br.
Her experience mirrored that of businesses that saw opportunity in couples’ willingness to spend more for a single evening, but also risk in concentrating sales and price hikes into a few days. Chocolates and confectionery, both local and imported, ride the same wave. Supermarkets and kiosks report two- to three-times their usual weekly sales, while greeting cards and balloons move in high volumes despite low prices.
Behind these stories is a flower-export machine tightly tied to the same date.
During 2020 and 2021, global demand for flowers dipped due to COVID-19. Ethiopia’s dependence on air cargo logistics and comparatively low costs helped the industry weather the shock with only a modest contraction. By 2022 and 2023, Valentine’s shipments were on a recovery path, rising from about 2,165tns in 2023 to more than 4,500tns in 2024 as new farms came onstream, logistics improved, and demand in Europe and the United States strengthened.
The 2025 season undercut that trend slightly as volumes slipped to about 4,200tns, around seven percent below 2024, with regional instability and logistical disruptions blamed. Even with the dip in volumes, earnings have continued to climb.
The sector is dominated by a relatively small group of large, export-oriented farms, many of them foreign-owned or joint ventures. Seven main farms, all foreign-owned, supply the U.S. market and together account for all Ethiopian flower exports to the U.S. Industry figures reveal that the top 10 to 15 farms capture up to 70pc of total flower-export value. Names such as Sher Ethiopia, Sheba Valley and Sheba Farms, Eco-Agriculture (Eco-Flor) and Karuturi Global are among the key players.
According to business consultant Terefe Jima, CEO of Toka Business Consultancy Plc, the seasonal flower boom comes with clear trade-offs. High demand for Valentine’s Day creates jobs across the supply chain, from farms to city vendors, and flower exports are crucial for foreign exchange.
Ethiopia generated 564.9 million dollars in 2024/25 from horticulture exports, with flowers accounting for about 80pc.
The Netherlands, described as the largest single destination and a major re-export hub into the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), and North America, accounted for over 60pc of Ethiopia’s flower exports. Saudi Arabia was a fast-growing Middle Eastern market, particularly for Valentine’s Day and religious-season demand, and the UK was an important direct market for premium roses and mixed bouquets, alongside other European buyers.
Smaller but expanding markets in the Gulf and Asia took the balance.
Terefe also warned that export success tightens domestic supply and helps push prices higher for domestic buyers, while many companies hire additional workers only for the season.
"Once the rush passes and sales fall, those workers face renewed insecurity as temporary jobs disappear," he told Fortune.
PUBLISHED ON
Feb 15,2026 [ VOL
26 , NO
1346]
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