Whew! It's been a whirlwind getting ready to launch the newest Bouquet Subscriptions on the website, and Stacia, from Cora's Cut Flowers and I are so excited. And now that we've done it, we can get back to seed starting and growing. But first I wanted to explain the reason why we are selling bouquets with this model.
We've called it "Bouquet Subscription" because not everyone knows what CSA stands for and means. Do you know what CSA stands for? Community Supported Agriculture. Here's how it works and two main reasons why it makes sense for farms to use this as a business model:
A CSA model functions like a subscription. A farmer figures out the cost of a good and then charges the consumer an upfront cost. For example, I know the cost of one bouquet is $25 (keeping in mind price per stem and my labor) and there will be 6 weeks of bouquets, I charge the customer $25 x 6 = $150 up front. This helps farmers for two reasons:
1. Farmers put in a ton of money and work on the front end of the season: seeds, seed starting materials & medium, tools, etc., not to mention the labor. And in a typical model, we don't get paid until we sell produce which is months after the fact. The CSA model helps with the labor and pre-produce/flower cost.
2. The other benefit is that a CSA model helps farmers know what their market is, and gives them a definite timeframe to get goods to folks. Most produce and many flowers have a relatively short shelf life. If produce is ready or a flower bouquet assembled, it can't just sit around for weeks. Isn't one of the points of buying local to get the freshest goods available? So, for example, if I know I have a set # of bouquets to make for a Thursday pick up, this helps me minimize potential waste of both flowers and my time, and helps keep everyone on the same page and focused on the goal: getting fresh cut, sustainably grown, beautiful blooms into your home.
Thank you for considering supporting our farm in this way!
-Hannah
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