Episode Details

https://youtu.be/cGL1isNsbbE?si=h00tMUumLpTPXCH3 Collective flower selling is on the rise and we continue to see numerous models across the continent and even abroad. The origin comes from traditional farmers’ markets and has since diversified to include cooperatives, co-marketing ventures and solo-run farmer-to-florist hubs. The structures reflect the desires and business objectives of their founders, and today you’ll hear from Colleen McCoole Payne, co-founder and chief administrator of the Kansas City Flower Farmers Wholesale Market. The KC Flower Farmers Wholesale Market is a mouthful, but was intentionally named to distinguish this venture in the local market. Colleen owns FarmStrong Flowers, a regenerative specialty cut flower farm in Bucyrus, Kansas. I recently spoke with her about the market model she and 21 fellow growers have developed, which she describes to florists as similar to shopping a farmers market and paying for the product from each farm that they buy from. The Market has a new lease and a new location, and as Colleen says, “it’s still a work in progress and we are evolving to make it work better!”  Dahlias from FarmStrong Flowers More than 20 flower farmers in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Kansas City, Kansas, and beyond are part of the KC Flower Farmers Wholesale Market, now in its fourth year as a wholesale collective serving approximately 200 floral customers from operations on both side of the Missouri-Kansas state line. The woman behind this endeavor, Colleen McCoole Payne, a Kansas grower and owner of FarmStrong Flowers, joined me recently to record today’s interview. The group has signed a lease to move into a permanent location, a cause for celebration after numerous temporary and pop-up sites in past seasons. Colleen and I dive right into discussing the unique model developed for this specific flower hub. And you’ll have thoughts, I’m sure – especially if you’re part of a collective or cooperative yourself. Here’s a bit of the narrative, as was posted on the market’s Instagram account: “Every year we searched high and low for that perfect landing spot. So much gratitude goes out to the locations we placed our buckets in prior to finding our dream space. We truly were bootstrapping it those first three years.We could not have come this far selling our locally-grown flowers wholesale without our fabulous buyers. So many of you have embraced our products and encouraged us to keep growing. We hope to become your one-stop shop for quality, locally-grown flowers. In other news, the market has open hours two days per week --  Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM to 1 PM. Also added: what they believe is the first-ever VIP buyer option for 24-hour self-serve access to “Shopping the Cooler” for local flowers and foliage. The new venue also accommodates floral design work space and cooler space for rent. Participating Flower Growers: Bee & Co.  C-Us-Bloom Castle Hill Farm FarmStrong Flowers Fern's Farmette Julie Pal Peonies Laura’s Flower Farm Long Acre Farm Mainstream Meadows Morningstar Flower Farm Nurturing with Nature  Oskaloosa Flower Farm Patina Meadows Red Barn Blossoms Ruthie Mae Blooms Shelti Farms Soul of Soil Farm St. Clair Stems  Triple S Homestead Whistle Stop Peonies Wild Thistle-Flowers Wyld Heart Flower Farm  Find and follow Kansas City Flower Farmers Wholesale Market on Instagram and FacebookFind and follow FarmStrong Flowers on Instagram (as @laylasmarket) and Facebook You're Invited to Join Us: April 10th Member Meet-Up Farmer-florist and educator Xenia D'Ambrosi of Sweet Earth Co. And head’s up, our April Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up is right around the corner on Friday, April 10th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. You’ll meet farmer-florist Xenia D'Ambrosi of Sweet Earth Co. Xenia will share how she developed an online course, The Eco-Friendly Cutting Garden, to teach students how to plant a backyard flower garden that benefits the environment. The course evolved from a series of in-person ,