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Roses

If you have the time to look it up, this is an interesting article on rose production in Ecuador. Roses are Ecuador's third largest export industry, behind bananas and oil. Ideal growing conditions were discovered by international investors in the 1980s and since then Ecuador's rose industry is the world's fourth largest. Volcanic soils, snowmelt from the Andes, and twelve hours a day of sunshine year-round are the key. A rose that costs less than 17 cents to grow in Ecuador will be sold in the U.S. for more than $8. But, as you'll find in the article, it's not all 'sunshine and roses' for the workers who make their living in this industry.