Young Agrarians is celebrating the ninth year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program. The BMN offers business mentorships to a diverse array of new and young farmers across BC. Through one-on-one mentorship, peer networks and online workshops young farmers develop the skills necessary to operate ecologically sustainable and financially viable farm businesses.
The 2022 Mentee Cohort have had a busy season managing a cool wet spring and a dry hot summer. We will share their voices and experiences over the next few weeks as we recruit for our 2023 cohort of Mentees and Mentors. If you would like to be considered for a seat in the program please see our Business Mentorship Network page for more information.
My name is Thanushi Eagalle (she/her), and I operate Wild Bee Florals in Courtenay, BC on the Unceded traditional territory of the K’òmoks First Nation. My Mentors are Molly and Zack from Bullock Lake Farm.
What were your goals for this season and what did you do to try to achieve them? Did you meet your goals / did it work out?
My first goal was to maximize production in the field and greenhouse. This was our first year having a greenhouse from Spring to Fall production, and it was a great start. I got to see which varieties (ex. celosia types) did the best, so that I can focus on growing more of those varieties. It was also nice seeing which colours customers gravitated to. We have been working on improving the soil at our farm over the last 2.5 years and found that the plants looked much healthier/were more productive this year.
The second goal was to increase floral subscribers and improve customer retention. We developed a marketing strategy and it was helpful. However, there are more growers in our location offering similar products. I did feel that considering the later start to the growing season, we always had lots of fun florals every week for beautiful colour combinations. Our floral subscribers told me every week they loved the flowers and one person said it was the best gift she had ever received!
The third goal that was a big one and it was to increase event design work. It was great talking to Molly about their process and comparing ours. During late summer we had weddings almost every weekend which was amazing. This is a goal that I want to continue focusing on, because it is the best value for our florals.
The final goal was to maintain a successful business with good profit margins and I’m not there yet with the financials. I also haven’t seen another flower farm with amazing net income (after paying staff, expenses) either… It seems the more the farm makes, the more expenses there are. I have come to the understanding that with farmers who own their land, they are always investing into the land which they will one day be able to sell. However, if you are leasing land, then we have to reimagine how to come away with good profits to get through the winter. After 3 more years we will have our loans paid off, and the perennials like peonies and shrubs will hopefully be producing lots of flowers and foliage. Till then, we have to figure out ways to stay in the game with a balanced lifestyle.
What resources did you find most valuable to support your business during the season?
Talking to other local growers was very helpful for growing information and pricing. Pricing locally grown flowers is challenging due to the large variation amongst growers and florists in rural settings. I joined the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and they had flower farming specific talks which were helpful. I also took a greenhouse growing course offered through the Gardener’s Workshop series, and that was also a good resource to better understand crop start dates for greenhouse growing.
What were your best sales channels/avenues?
The online shop and weddings were the best sales channels this year. Through the online shop we sold floral subscriptions, everyday arrangements and workshop tickets.
Why do your customers buy from you (what is your unique value proposition in your market)?
Our customers enjoy buying flowers from me because of our customer service, ease of payment (online shop) and creative designs. We share our growing stories on social media, so they feel connected to what’s happening at the farm as well.
What was the most important thing you gained from the mentorship?
The most important thing I gained was hands-on experience doing some wedding floral design work with Molly + Zack, and also getting a realistic perspective on financials.
What specific business skills did the mentorship help you develop?
The wedding floral intake process was fine tuned this year with the help of Molly. Talking to her about her approach felt comforting and I was so appreciative of their generous sharing of knowledge.
How did mentorship impact your business overall?
It was great to see how an event floral focused farm operated. It has given me a great understanding of what to keep in mind if we host events and how to approach floral installation builds.
What were the big hard lessons this season you would want to share with other farmers?
Farming is a very tough career path for a variety of reasons. Not only are you gambling with nature, but selling your product while reducing waste can be quite challenging. Especially if it’s also on you to educate others about the value of your product, when both locally grown flowers and food are undervalued. Taking out a loan to get it all started really cuts into your profits and so does having employees. Be prepared to not make any net income for several years and also make large investments for Spring (bulbs, corms, roots) in October. Overall working through anxiety over cashflow through the entire growing season has been the biggest challenge.
What were the victories, small or large that you had this season?
We were able to hire an employee for this growing season which was a good learning opportunity and helped lessen the load. We were really able to make the most out of Mother’s Day, with our first succession of ranunculus coming through after we had a crop failure the previous year. We worked with amazing collaborators and felt even more connected to our farm and the Comox Valley.
What plans do you have for future farm growth ?
It would be amazing if our farm was able to support a 3 person team, with one person focusing on the growing flowers, the other on design work and the third helping with growing and design.
Share anything funny/weird that happened on your farm this season.
I discovered that I was allergic to Euphorbia (Mountain Snow) and my face swelled up for 2 days! Lots of flower farmers grow poisonous plants like foxglove and larkspur, however this was the first time I had a strong reaction to a plant, though I had worked with euphorbia previously.
Where can we find you online?
You can find out more about us through our website: wildbeeflorals@gmail.com or Instagram/Facebook: @wildbeeflorals
This program is made possible with the generous funding support of Vancity and Columbia Basin Trust.