2019 Spring – The Farmer and the Florist

Laura Beth: Also, don’t forget to have a few “must tells” lined up. It’s your job to educate florists who aren’t familiar with local flowers about how it works. Set realistic expectations right away. For example, be sure to tell them:

• You won’t have dahlias in March or peonies in September, but when you do have dahlias and peonies, they will be outstanding.
• Weather deeply affects your yields and crop timings, but you will do your utmost to communicate well if weather is threatening your oncoming crops.
• Certain crops cannot be held in a cooler: basil, lemon verbena, zinnias, and apple mint don’t do well under 42 degrees.

Once the meeting is complete, follow up with an email and your availability list, or a specific next step.

This will be our first commercial growing season as we try to bring flowers to market. What do you know now that you would recommend to those starting a new farm? Franklin Flower Farm, North Carolina

Laura Beth: Oh, man! Some things that I wish I had known when I started working with florists:

• Wait until your quality is awesome to work with florists. Start out with easier channels like farmers’ markets, CSAs, farm stands, or grocery stores. I can’t tell you how many times Ellen had to tell me that my stems were too short, that foliage was wilty, that I was cutting something at the wrong stage; most florists would be over me by now, don’t count on having an Ellen in your corner!
• Don’t be cheap. Once you have a strong product, set a minimum where you think it should be. Respect your work enough to charge the right amount for it.
• Once I lost my temper at a florist in a heated moment and she started crying! Confusing situations will come up often. You might feel completely befuddled and have no clue what to do. If that’s the case, stop and think about the person you want to be before you take action. Let your personal values guide you, not your emotional reactions.

This is my first year selling to florists. My small farm cannot meet their entire weekly needs. How do I manage their expectations but at the same time encourage weekly purchases to produce steady sales? East End Farms, Riverhead, New York

Laura Beth: If I had to pick one most important thing to remember as you start working with florists, it’s that quality is king. Florists can easily ignore emails and phone calls, but no way can they ignore gorgeous, tall delphinium, or fresh lisianthus straight from the farm. Start working with florists only when you feel confident that the quality of your stems will wow them. That’s the best way to encourage steady sales!

Once you have quality blooms, then thoughtful communication is the best way to grow your relationships with florists. The idea is to show your commitment and excellence not through just your amazing flowers, but also through the care you put into your emails to and meetings with your florists. Explain to them that you’re small, but have plans to be a great asset to their business, so stick with you! Make sure they understand that starting a farm is a learning curve, and you’ll give immediate refunds if anything you bring them isn’t up to their standards. Ask them to give you constructive criticism—ask them regularly, because they’re busy and will probably forget. Try to think of creative ways to show them you appreciate their business. If you’re growing figs, bring them some free fruit! Treat them to a coffee when it’s convenient for them. Give them samples of your oncoming crops.

The reality is that not every florist will be patient with you and cultivate that relationship. I have a florist now who is frustrated that she isn’t getting our winter greenhouse flowers, but she barely bought from me when we started out. She doesn’t understand that I’m prioritizing those who believed in me when my business was young. That’s okay; some relationships will be stronger than others, none of us can jive perfectly with each and every florist. Nor should we! Communicate who you are and what you do, and if a florist doesn’t seem to “get” it, then find others who do.