Spotlight on the Floral Department

The Floral Department at the Brattleboro Food Coop lives in the house that Produce built. It’s like the kid who comes home from college during the summer and moves all his stuff back in. At the high point of activity in the warmer months, the department spills all the way out onto the sidewalk in front of the store. Potted plants. Vegetable starts. Hanging baskets. Compost and potting soil. Inside there are cut flower bouquets, house plants, seeds, and grow kits.

As the Produce Department Assistant Manager, I order the products for the Floral Department, and my goal is to make the front of the Co-op look like a jungle or an arboretum. When I was a kid, I would stop into the science department greenhouse at my school and wait for my dad to finish his office duties so we could go home. It was surreal to walk into the greenhouse, knowing nothing about the plants that were in there, and nevertheless be awestruck by the abundance of life. So whether it’s intentional or not, I think this is the experience I’m trying to create for Co-op shoppers: a “WOW, COOL!” moment when they walk in the store.

The Floral Department really shines as it gets warmer. We’re able to carry a wider range of products for customers, and the department can spread out. What seems to be turning heads these days are the two cut-flower bouquet options we carry from our major distributors.

Colour Republic is a brand we carry through UNFI out of Chesterfield, NH. Their “These Bees Save Flowers” line features stunning mixed-flower bouquets at a range of price points. The flowers are grown in Ecuador under the guidance of Colour Republic’s Rainforest Alliance and Flor Ecuador certifications that ensure ecologically-sensitive practices are used at the farms. The bouquets we carry in the store also contribute to the “One Tree Planted” initiative that funds reforestation in the United States.

Through Four Seasons Produce out of Ephrata, PA, we carry carefully crafted bouquets from Gable Run Acres. Gable Run is an Amish farm, and their attention to detail in the bouquet design is incredible. A few months ago, we were getting eucalyptus bouquets from Gable Run that looked like pieces of art and made the department and front end of the Co-op smell incredible. 

We’re lucky in our region to have so many local producers and distributors that also contribute to the Floral Department’s “WOW, COOL!” factor. Tulips from Wards Berry Farm in Sharon, MA. Ranunculus bouquets from Old Friends Farm in Amherst, MA. Mums from Allen Bros in Westminster, VT. Dahlia tubers from Many Graces Farm in Northampton, MA. Because of local distributors like Myers Produce and Marty’s Local, I’m constantly scanning order guides to see what local options we can bring into the store quickly to make the Floral Department a good home for the growers just down the street.

When the warmer days wane, the fresh life that the Floral Department is able to feature contracts a little bit. Luckily, there are some new products I’m bringing in to keep the joy of plant life going all year. The department now carries indoor (and outdoor) grow kits from Buzzy Seeds and Modern Sprout. These products feature a growing container, seeds, growing medium, and usually include a fun packaging flourish like a clay pot spotlighting your “Emotional Support Strawberry” or your peaceful Moss Rose grown in a pot painted with a serene expression. One of my favorites among the items we offered around Easter were the Modern Sprout Easter Plops: seed bombs called “Chickadee Poop,” “Bunny Poop,” and “Lil’ Lamb Poop.” Pretty soon we’ll also have Modern Sprout DIY seed bomb kits that you can use to make your own.  

One of the real runaway successes of the department has been North Spore out of Portland, ME. We started carrying North Spore’s indoor Spray-and-Grow mushroom kits a few months ago and people can’t seem to get enough of them. Pretty soon we’ll be stocking North Spore log inoculation kits and even an outdoor version of their Spray-and-Grow kits. The company is doing impressive work in the mushroom cultivation business. 

Long-term, it would be great to continue a really lush department all year, and I’ll keep looking for ways to help folks get through the seasonal doldrums. My goal with the BFC Floral Department is to make people feel like they’re entering a botanical garden where they also happen to buy groceries, my effort to add a little enchantment to the store. 

Written by Gabriel Sistare, Produce Department Assistant Manager