In a warehouse north of Ecuador's capital, a small, busy army of dexterous workers puts the final touches on a shipment of made-to-order roses with tones as diverse as the colors of a rainbow suffused in fragrance capable of seducing even the most demanding nose.

In Ecuador, the world's second-largest exporter of roses, it took root only recently, as a result of an economic crisis that forced flower growers to diversify their offerings and turn their focus to higher-end products.

Still, the $15 million in preserved flowers sold by Ecuador's farms represent only a tiny fraction of the more than $800 million the country's flower industry exports annually.

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