BOGOTA, Colombia, March 9, 2010: The Association of Colombian Flower exporters, Asocolflores, its board of directors, executive president, affiliates and staff deeply mourn the passing of Mr. Peter Hannaford and extend their condolences to his family and his friends.
Since the mid 60s, the name Peter Hannaford has been closely tied to the history of Colombian floriculture, as well as that of other countries, when he joined forces with companies such as ‘Sun Valley’, ‘Jardines de Ecuador’, and even founded ‘Jardines de los Andes’, one of the original leading floricultural companies in the country.
Of special note is his 18-year stint at ‘Floramérica’. There he achieved important recognition not only for his invaluable contributions and on-going commitment, but also for assembling a group of professionals that to this day sheds light on the industry of floriculture and continues disseminating his knowledge.
This wealth of experience is echoed today in ‘The Elite Flower’, a leading company within the industry, not only for the excellent quality of its flowers and for its presence in numerous markets, but especially for being an example of corporate social responsibility.
Asocolflores expresses, not only its immense appreciation to Peter Hannaford, but also its lasting acknowledgment to a man, who thanks to his business vision, entrepreneurial spirit, unshakeable tenacity and above all, his love for Colombia, contributed to the creation, development and strengthening of its floriculture industry, rendering it one of the most recognized producers of flowers for export today.
Born in Colombia of a British father and a mother who came from a traditional Colombian family in the city of Cali, Peter always loved plants; he was forever curious about what made them grow, how and when they bloomed and produced fruit. With his father’s encouragement he left for England after finishing high school and entered Somerset Agricultural College to study commercial horticulture. This included working over the summer in a fruit farm where he started learning how the horticultural business worked.

In December 2009 Asocolflores honored Peter Hannoford (third from right) for his commitment to and love for the Colombian flower industry.