Episode 524: The Business of Selling Your Flowers to Florists – Expert advice from farmer-florist Julio Freitas of The Flower Hat

https://youtu.be/UKxyY99TUk8 I have a very special treat for you. Earlier this month, I traveled to Missoula, Montana, where I gave the opening presentation to the Montana Cut Flower Workshop. The conference planners asked me to share a national overview of the insights and forecast for the Slow Flowers Movement, including flower farming and floral design trends. Julio Freitas of The Flower Hat Immediately following my presentation was Julio Freitas, a longtime Slow Flowers member and owner of The Flower Hat, based in Bozeman. Julio originally entered the floral world as the designer of phenomenal weddings and events, but that pat led him to flower farming. He shared the how and why that happened in his lecture, which he graciously permitted me to record to feature today. Meet Julio Freitas, The Flower Hat -- a Bozeman, Montana-based florist-farmer putting his distinct style on the map. The Flower Hat is a floral design studio and flower farm located in Bozeman, MT. In Julio's very short season, he grows thousands and thousands of beautiful flowers for use in dozens of weddings throughout Spring, Summer and Fall. The farming side of his business originated on a 1,800 sq ft parcel when Julio couldn't get his hands on the quality of botanicals he needed for design work. Over the years, that growing space expanded to 1/4 acre, including leased land, to accommodate The Flower Hat's demand for more flowers.  Today, The Flower Hat occupies five acres in Bozeman, Montanta. I'm excited for you to hear from Julio about his approach to selling flowers to fellow florists. I know it will be beneficial. If you're a florist, you'll learn a thing or two about how to source from local flower farmers; and if you're a grower, the tips Julio shares are priceless. A seasonal bouquet by Julio Freitas Below you will links to Julio's social places. Visit his website to sign up for his newsletter, which means you'll be the first to learn about the fall bulb sale that starts in just a few weeks on October 15th, and get advance details on Julio's 2022 workshop series. Check out "Montana Mentor," my feature about The Flower Hat workshops that appeared in the January 2020 issue of Slow Flowers Journal for Florists' Review (link below). TheFlowerHatWorkshopDownload Follow The Flower Hat on Instagram Find The Flower Hat on Facebook BLOOM Imprint New Releases: Pre-Orders Open Just a little news to share with you about BLOOM Imprint, our book publishing division of Slow Flowers. We have just posted pre-ordering for two new books, out later this year. Pre-orders are open for A Life in Flowers, by Holly Heider Chapple, which will be released at the end of October. Be inspired by Holly's story and learn all about her floral design aesthetic, her innovations, her mentorship and community building, and Hope Flower Farm in Virginia, where she has established a center for floral education.You also can pre-order Felicia Alvarez's new book on growing garden roses for the floral design, called Growing Wonder, based on her experience as a rose farmer and educator. This is the only rose book developed with our Slow Flowers Community in mind -- because it is focused on rose selection, cultivation, harvest, post-harvest care and crop management for cutting gardens and flower farms. This book will be released in January. And if you're over at bloomimprint.com, you can also order my signed copies of our first book, Where We Bloom, perfect for the gardener and flower lover in your life. Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 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 for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and ...