SAF’s Next Gen LIVE! conference in February includes tours of two San Diego-area farms, Mellano & Company (left) and Kendall Farms (right). The tour also includes the International Floral Trade Center in Carlsbad, California.
Sustainability practices, cutting-edge technology, efficiencies and entrepreneurial thinking are hard at work in California floral businesses, and attendees touring two flower farms and a flower market as part of the Society of American Florists’ Next Gen LIVE! conference will get a first-hand look at how those factors contribute to a thriving floral supply chain.
“It’s so helpful for everyone in the floral industry to understand what’s happening along the supply chain, and there’s no better way to do that than with boots on the ground,” says SAF Immediate Past President Michelle Castellano Keeler, AAF, of Mellano & Company, one of the grower’s on the tour. “We hope that these visits will help Next Gen attendees better understand where their flowers come from and what it takes to get them into the hands of florists and consumers.”
The tours are just one aspect of the third annual conference for young floral pros Feb. 25-27 in San Diego. The event, designed by and for the next generation of the floral industry, also connects young professionals with networking activities — including a supplier expo and design competition — and features nearly a dozen education sessions. Those sessions focus on topics for every segment of the industry and are geared for young professionals: how to pitch ideas, sales strategies, product development, productivity hacks, leading with empathy, work-life balance, and insights on breeding. (See the full schedule here.)
Nicole Palazzo (left), AAF, of City Line Florist in Trumbull, Connecticut, and Maiya Shoemaker (center) and Alejandra Ruiz (right), both of Fifty Flowers in Boise, Idaho, get a behind-the-scenes look at bouquet production during a previous Next Gen LIVE! tour.
The final day of the two-and-a-half-day event includes tours of the International Floral Trade Center, Kendall Farms, and Mellano & Company.
First on the stop: the International Floral Trade Center in Carlsbad, California, a large market for florists and the public. Tour highlights include browsing the plethora of fresh product provided by three California growers as well as product imported from South America, Holland, New Zealand and Israel.
Next on the stop: Kendall Farms in Fallbrook, California, which grows eucalyptus, waxflower, protea and pincushion on about 500 acres for wholesale and mass market. Tour highlights include an emphasis on the technology the farm uses, such as drones for pest control and machines that make bouquets, and the farm’s sustainability practices.
And the last stop: Mellano & Company in Oceanside, California, which grows a wide variety of cut flowers, foliage and succulents on nearly 400 acres for wholesale and mass market. Tour highlights include a look at how the farm makes bouquets, how it’s built a reputation for hosting events, and how it cares for its employees with perks like onsite housing.
For more information about Next Gen LIVE! and to register before the early bird deadline on Jan. 18, click here. Attendees must also register for the tours.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF News Now.