https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nICvbZxTo2k
I've just returned from a short trip to New York City and Brooklyn, one of the highlights of which included my spending two days in the lower Hudson Valley doing some pre-planning for the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit!
Xenia D'Ambrosi and Debra Prinzing at Sweet Earth Co.
Of course I spent time at our venue for 2022, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, in Pocantico Hills, New York . . . and I'll share much more about that in the coming weeks. But I also had a fantastic visit to Sweet Earth Co., located in Pound Ridge, just 20 miles away. Listeners of the Slow Flowers Podcast may recall that I hosted farmer-florist Xenia D'Ambrosi as a guest in January 2018, when she shared her story of recovering from cancer by moving away from corporate finance to a new life growing, designing and teaching around plants, flowers and wellness.
Sweet Earth Co.'s herbal tea collection ~ a diversified product from the farm.
Each of us has experienced our own version of a "pivot" due to the pandemic, and Xenia has done so herself. She's tightened her focus on the essential aspects of Sweet Earth Co. and taken some very intentional steps in marketing and content development to communicate to her customers. Sweet Earth Co. is described as a floral and garden design studio located on a sustainable flower farm.
A glorious seasonal bouquet from Sweet Earth Co.
Here's more about Xenia D'Ambrosi, excerpted from her website:
Xenia is lead designer and farmer-florist at Sweet Earth Co. Most wouldn’t have imagined that a city girl like me would find her calling amidst flower fields and gardens, but I can't deny a history of generations of land stewardship & farming engrained in my DNA.
Having my hands in the soil brought me healing and ignited my passion for sustainable gardening and horticulture. In 2012 I started Sweet Earth Co. which specializes in growing specialty cut flowers and herbs, and in garden and floral design and installations.
After touring the growing grounds, I sat down with Xenia to continue our conversation, which we recorded in her studio. You can watch the video of that tour and interview above.
Find and follow Sweet Earth Co. and subscribe to Xenia's newsletter here:
Sweet Earth Co. on YouTube
Sweet Earth Co. on Facebook
Sweet Earth Co. on Instagram
Sweet Earth Co. on Pinterest
We are in the midst of October's Member Appreciation Month and I'm so pleased at all the great content we've been able to share with our community of members. If you aren't a member yet -- and why haven't you joined us? It's the perfect time to step up and commit. This month, all new members will receive our special Member Benefits Booklet with coupons, discounts and other perks from eight of our partners and sponsors -- the savings will more than cover your annual membership investment.
All new members also receive our Slow Flowers Society collector's pin, made in the USA and featuring our teal and lime green logo. Plus, if you upgrade to or join at the Premium Level, you'll also receive the video bundle of all our Slow Flowers Summit 2022 speaker videos, valued at $129.
Interested in learning more? Head to slowflowerssociety.com and click our "Become a Member" Button
Before we wrap up, I want to draw your attention to another incredible free and timely resource -- an extensive report that we just produced for the October Johnny's Seeds' Advantage Newsletter. The article is called Collective Selling Models for Flower Farmers. As you have heard many times on this Podcast, it's no wonder that over the past 10 years interest in collectives, cooperatives and co-marketing models is definitely on the rise. This change runs parallel to the general explosion of new flower farmers and increased demand among florists for local and seasonal product. But there is no one-size-fits-all template, which has been frustrating for some startup groups.
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