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,