243. Jessica Hall on Unearthing the Heirloom Mum Movement

What does it take to run a successful flower farm?  On this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, we’re joined by Jessica Hall who is the Owner, Visionary, and Weeder-in-Chief at Harmony Harvest Farm. Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, her farm is known for pioneering nationwide direct-to-consumer bouquet shipping. With over 15 years in the industry, Jessica is driven by the belief that #FreshFlowersRule and everyone can live a better life through flowers.  Tune in today to hear all about the evolution of Harmony Harvest Farm and how they enhance their community and thrive as a result!   You’ll hear: How Jessica discovered her calling to be a flower farmer  2:20 When Jessica knew she wanted to switch gears from weddings 13:06 About the Harmony Harvest Victory Garden and how it’s doing today 27:30 More about The Mum Project  49:55 How Jessica keeps track of all their inventory and production 58:44 How Harmony Harvest keeps their mother plants in their greenhouse 1:05:40 What gives their farm true business freedom 1:08:02 About the Guest: Jessica is the Owner, Visionary, and Weeder-in-Chief of Harmony Harvest Farm. Harmony Harvest Farm is known for pioneering nationwide direct-to-consumer bouquet shipping and its impressive collection of heirloom chrysanthemums. This year, Jessica and her team launched The Mum Project, a collaborative initiative to revitalize American agriculture through heirloom mums. With over 15 years in the industry, Jessica is driven by the belief that #FreshFlowersRule and everyone can live a better life through flowers.  Resources: Website - https://www.hhfshop.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/harmonyhrvst/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/harmonyhrvst       GrownBy is the farmer-owned online marketplace. In the last three years, their 200 farmers have sold over $2M of products to shoppers on the GrownBy app. GrownBy works for all scales and types of farm sales. Spring Plant Sale? Yup. Annual Freezer Meat Emptying? Check. Multi-season, multi-farm 300 member CSA operation? Absolutely. GrownBy supports it all. As a cooperative, farmer success is their #1 priority. They are the first farmer-owned cooperative ecommerce platform in the world. With auto-payments, built-in customer notifications, CSA subscriptions, and customers helping to pay site fees, GrownBy is a tailored fit for your farm’s online sales. Upcoming, GrownBy will be the first online platform accepting SNAP/EBT with authorized farms. Startup is free, and pricing is transparent and affordable. The cooperative collects 2% of each transaction, but customers often contribute to this fee and bring down farmer costs significantly. Listeners to the Thriving Farmers Podcast get 50% off their first three months on GrownBy. Just email [email protected] to get this offer. You can learn more at GrownBy.com, or download the app on the Google Play or Apple App stores.