Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else. How lucky am I to have worked my whole life doing something that makes it so hard to say goodbye.  I am so grateful to all with whom I have worked; my heart has been touched by all of you and I have learned from each and every one of you.

Without the mentorship of our wonderful customers and their retail florists, I would never have understood the movement of flowers and how this great floral industry works.

Without the experience of working with our incredible grower partners, I would never have known what is possible.

Without the efforts of each member of our Equiflor team in every department, we could never have made Rio one of America’s most trusted and desired flower brands. Every associate at Equiflor has taught me something about life, relationships, and the importance of balance in living.

The merger between Equiflor and Plantas and Flores in Costa Rica—which made my retirement possible—catapults Equiflor to the leadership position in Miami importers as the go-to brand for most every flower sold in our industry. This leaves our customers in the best hands ever.

I am confident that our fine group of growers in four countries, our logistics partners, the Equiflor management and sales team, and our incredible support staff will keep Equiflor moving in just one direction: forward and upward. There has never been a better time to be an Equiflor customer and distribution/marketing partner.

With that said, I will remain a partner in our farm operations and freight forwarding business, so I’ll be retired but still connected. I hope to engage again with our great industry, industry members, growers, and the people who made it all happen at Equiflor.

So, I bid you adieu, but not farewell.

The problem with retirement is that you never have a day off!

I promise, with the help of my bride, to make the best of it that we can.

Raul Marrero

Former Senior Vice President of Equiflor (Rio Roses)