Episode 690 – Elizabeth Fichter of Queen Bee Blooms shares how to have the conversation that will change perceptions around local flowers

https://youtu.be/2d9_GRnbSrI?si=_UjIQWQALrUv-8OJ Owner of Queen Bee Blooms in St. Louis, Missouri, Elizabeth Fichter is a farmer-florist who has given a lot of thought to how she can differentiate her business from the conventional alternative. In today’s episode, she will outline six important actions you can take to better discuss the value and benefits of locally grown flowers with your B2B and B2C customers, as well as share specific things she does to keep her flowers front and center in her marketplace. Elizabeth Fichter of Queen Bee Blooms A few months ago, Elizabeth Fichter reached out to me about an article she was writing for the well-known farming publication, Growing for Market. The topic was a familiar one to the Slow Flowers community – how to change perceptions of local flowers with our customers. Elizabeth wanted to include the message and mission of the Slow Flowers movement in her piece, so we had a back-and-forth discussion as she worked on her article. Writing her story was an exercise that helped Elizabeth fine-tune her message and understand what makes Queen Bee Blooms’ brand authentic and unique. In doing the contemplative work on this piece, Elizbeth discovered what she wanted to share with others – and I invited her to join me on the Slow Flowers Podcast to continue the conversation. I know you'll find it relatable -- and I hope it will inspire you to make some creative changes in your own floral enterprise. Here's a bit more about Elizabeth and Queen Bee Blooms:Elizabeth is an artist and a life-long lover of flowers. She is an event designer, wedding planner, writer, dreamer and of course, farmer. For more than a century, her family has farmed the land that is now home to Queen Bee Blooms. As she writes on her website: Queen Bee Blooms with Elizabeth and her gorgeous flowers The flower fields at Queen Bee Blooms “This-164-acre farm has been in my family for over 100 years. When my great-grandfather purchased it, it had already been a working dairy and crop farm since the mid-1800's. Over the years, it has been taken care of by generations before me. As a small girl, I grew up here, moved away, saw the world, worked jobs that I loved, started a family, and visited on holidays and weekends. Until my mom passed away, I never thought it would or could  be mine alone. Given the opportunity (when remaining family wanted to sell it), I stopped everything in my life to return to where I began. In over 15 years, I've never looked back. I believe you end up exactly where you are supposed to be…I've followed my passion for flowers to create a farm that does things differently. “I grow flowers not because I have to. I grow them because it feeds my soul like nothing else. Spending my days amongst this splendor is a gift that I don't take lightly.  I have a responsibility of stewardship of not just this land, but especially the awe-inspiring beauty and magic it nurtures and grows. “ https://vimeo.com/916480526/02a3221db3?share=copy Click above to watch Elizabeth Fichter's video, "Why Local Flowers?" I’m excited to share our conversation with you today, And a special thank you to Andrew Mefferd, editor and publisher of Growing for Market, who generously shared a free link to Elizabeth’s October 2024 article, "How to have the conversation that will change perceptions around local flowers," with the Slow Flowers community so you can read it, too. Read Elizabeth's article in Growing for Market Find and follow Queen Bee Blooms at these social places:Instagram and FacebookCheck out Queen Bee Blooms on Pinterest Join the Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) Meet-Up Kate Punnett of The August Press In news of the week, be sure to sign up to join our November 15th Slow Flowers (Virtual) Member Meet-Up for the month. It’s a timely and creative subject and I’m excited to welcome our member expert, Kate Punnett of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owner of The August Press. Her session, which we’re calling "The Art + Business of Pressed Flowers," will perhaps inspire what you add to your portfolio of floral products and services next. In addition to being a farmer-florist, Kate is a pressed flower artist dedicated to sustainability. She crafts custom pressed floral art, greeting cards and fine art. The August Press also creates professional-grade flower presses inspired by the timeless art of pressing flowers. You’re invited join us and – yes – there will be a few giveaways to names drawn from those who attend the session in person! Click to Pre-Register for the November 15th Meet-Up Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers. Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu. Thank you to Johnny's Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds -- supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com. Thank you to The Gardener's Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you'll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography I'm Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you're invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I'll see you next week! Music Credits: Drone Pine; Gaena; Plum Kingby Blue Dot Sessionshttp://www.sessions.blue Lovelyby Tryad http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentalshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ In The Fieldaudionautix.com