How Cut Flower Growers Can Build Florist Relationships by Showing Up

MANHEIM, Pa. — Flowers are a gift for the senses.

A photo may not do justice to cut flowers’ colors and hues, and there is — for now — no way to convey that fresh flower scent.

This is why grower Dave Delbo of Dave’s Flowers in Elysburg built his 40-florist clientele by showing up, loading his box truck and bringing flowers to the shop.

“When they come out to the truck, it’s like a kid in a candy store,” Delbo said.

In business since 1981, Delbo shared his knowledge at the Crop Growing Expo Jan. 15.

Even with his longstanding clients, he opts to bring flowers to them instead of taking orders, finding florists will buy more based on what they see and want than ordering what they need.

He also doesn’t bother calling or emailing first.

“I’ll have 500 reasons to not get on that call right now,” said Kenny Fetherolf of Forget-Me-Not Florist, one of Delbo’s clients, as he joined him at the expo.

Delbo said he’s learned a lot about making and keeping florist relationships, marketing the fact that his flowers are locally grown.

Visiting during prime growing season is also key so the grower has quantity and variety to show, he said.

Delbo opts to travel farther into larger cities where he can see more than one florist in a trip. And he stops early in the week, around the same time florists would be placing wholesale orders.

This is Delbo’s routine for finding new clients, but he maintains the same schedule with existing customers. Florists want consistency, so he follows the same route and gets to destinations around the same time on the same day of the week, he said.

Florists can gain a lot from purchasing local flowers, Fetherolf said.

Local flowers are fresher and of a higher quality, last longer, offer positive marketing, experience less transit damage, have stronger scents and need less processing time, he said.

That’s why florists will often pay the same or higher prices than what they pay wholesalers.

But price is key.

With Delbo’s method of customer acquisition, growers need to know their break-even price and profit margin goals before talking to a florist.

“The florist will ask them how much they want for them, and the grower will say, ‘Well, what are they worth to you?’ That doesn’t really work for anybody,” Delbo said. “Probably six or seven times out of 10, that florist will undercut you.”

Growers should also understand some of the downsides florists face when buying local, including risk of bugs, flowers being exposed to varying temperature in transit, unreliability, price, and limited quantity and variety, Fetherolf said.

There are two types of florists, Delbo said — brick and mortar shops, where customers stop by for bouquets or order arrangements, and event florists, who often need large quantities of the same flower for one order on a specific day.

Understanding the varying needs of the operations can help growers meet customers’ goals. A brick-and-mortar store might be willing to give new flower varieties a try, and event florists still need staples.

But Delbo also never makes promises. Knowing a thunderstorm or other sudden weather could wipe out a specific flower or whole crop means he communicates with buyers but doesn’t guarantee anything.

“They’ll remember that you didn’t deliver what you were supposed to deliver, so it’s better if you just sell in the moment,” Fetherolf said.

Delbo will take orders for the upcoming week. He keeps a notebook in his truck to jot down who asked him to save what, but he limits even those requests.

While he isn’t flexible with orders, Delbo does accept that he will get paid at different times by different florists. Some choose to settle each week while others wait until they get near a $1,000 bill, and others pay monthly.

Of course, this means keeping invoices to ensure eventual payment.

As relationships develop, growers can also cater cuttings for florists’ needs. Some may want flowers ready to go out the door in a bouquet that day while others may be buying for the following week and want the heads a bit tighter.

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In general, initial flower sales should be on the tighter side, he said.

If growers aren’t sure when to cut and how to package flowers, Delbo suggested they visit a local wholesaler, set up an account and look in their freezer. Note which flowers are sold by the stem and which are in bunches — and how many stems are in a bunch.

On such a visit, growers can also look at pricing to learn about their competition.

Producers should be knowledgeable about their product and about post-harvest handling methods before trying to sell to florists, Delbo said. He suggested having another market first.

In Delbo’s business model, there is waste. Flowers that travel on the truck for a few days eventually need to be removed from sale.

At this point, Delbo will turn them into bouquets and sell them at the end of his driveway in a pay-what-you-want method, or he will take them to auction, knowing he is not going to get their full worth.

He has also composted some, and he made the suggestion of taking leftovers to nursing homes.

Delbo’s method isn’t the only way to work with florists.

While he doesn’t do it, he said growers could email florists an inventory and take orders and/or sell through a website. Rooted Farmers and Florlist are two websites he’s heard of.

Delbo likes the model he’s chosen. When he had young kids, he could take them with him in the truck, and florists have become like family to him.

He has gotten to know their needs and fixed their complaints, and he’s familiarized himself with their busy seasons (Valentine’s Day, Christmas/Hanukkah, Mother’s Day) and their slow times (July, January and March if Easter falls late).

And not selling to too many florists at once has helped him maintain selection for key relationships.

“Underpromise and overdeliver,” he said.