Lovingly Founders Miami Road Trip Opens Eyes and Minds.

Floral wholesaling, distribution, product development, and education expedition yields new relationships and a reinvigorated commitment to the Lovingly mission.

FISHKILL, NEW YORK, US, July 26, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When Joe Vega, Ken Garland and Ed Castillo, top management at Lovingly, planned a fact-finding tour of Miami floral industry leaders in the final week of June 2018, they approached the business trip with optimism and open minds. What they didn’t expect was star treatment.

Upon Arrival
The first stop for the team was a tour of a Lovingly partner’s shop in Fort Lauderdale. From small retail spaces, to shops that sell 1,000s of arrangements per month, everyone makes an indelible contribution to their community. Vega and Garland had started their annual visits to Lovingly partner shops in spring, to get first-hand impressions of Main Street retailers across North America. It’s all part of the Lovingly touch: to have senior team members in the shops to gauge the impact they are having in their local marketplace.

Hotel Niceties
Next up, a restaurant meeting with Yola Guz and Ruben Consa of the Miami-based Yola Guz School of Floral Design. The newly formed venture of Lovingly U has collaborated with Yola and Ruben as its pioneer educators. Notably, these educators hold AIFD, CFD and PFCI credentials among them. Pictures were taken and laughs shared over a celebratory dinner. A floral design class at the school would soon be sampled.

Galleria Farms
For a 10 a.m. call, the trio would venture to the highly regarded Galleria Farms, an expansive, high-end provider of floral goods to, among others, select supermarkets and wholesalers across the nation. With 60,000 square feet of space in Miami, and farms commanding 160 acres in Medellin, Colombia, the emphasis on quality was ever-present. The Galleria Farms offices displayed substantial charitable commemorations it has received through the years.

Executive Vice President of Galleria Farms, Neil Gold, gave an informative tour of the facility. Plush coats were provided to the visitors as they traveled the 34 degree, humidity-controlled space, designed to keep flowers at their freshest pre-transit to their final destinations in North American homes, businesses and healthcare facilities. Among other hydration equipt, pre-packed long-stem blooms, Galleria specializes in a massive collection of lush Hydrangeas. On display were blue, white and purple; though natural variations frequently occur.

Additionally, Galleria President, German Valencia, made himself available. Mr. Valencia generously shared stories about his business with Lovingly. Details such as production, high-end packaging, and day-to-day operations were covered. The Lovingly team appreciated the synergies between their companies and Vega and Garland were gratified by their shared beliefs. They’re already formulating possibilities for collaborations with Galleria Farms in the months and years to come.

Jet Fresh Flowers
Ashley and Ryan Black acted as gracious hosts for the next stop on the road trip. http://jetfreshflowers.com/ is a fourth generation wholesaler to the floral industry. The Lovingly team, once again, experienced a pattern of community spirit and synergistic culture. Jet Fresh was built on creative possibilities, enthusiastic collaborations, and dedicated teamwork.

The personalized culture and homespun environment was ever-present as Vega, Garland and Castillo viewed the various offerings at the wholesaler offices. Jet Fresh Flowers employees work in a fun, creative workspace, expressing themselves with themed workstations displaying preserved flowers. Lovingly vowed to explore this avenue of floral gift giving as an opportunity to delight shoppers with a more durable blossom style offering.

Jet Fresh’s attitude, product profile and infectious company culture offers a breath of fresh air to the floral and gift industry. Lovingly looks forward to crafting a productive collaboration with Jet Fresh in the future.

Yola Guz School of Floral Design
At the school itself, the warm welcome included sitting in on the graduating activities of the floral design class. Ed and Joe spoke to the class and offered congratulations to the students, who appreciated the Lovingly team’s insights into online floral commerce and the launch of https://sell.lovingly.com/resources/lovinglyu. During the course of the day’s proceedings, final designs were presented, and joy was expressed when students were presented with embroidered Lovingly aprons as a functional memento of the visit. Smiling group photos wrapped up the activities.

Flower Market District
After the school proceedings, Ruben, Yola, and the Lovingly team enjoyed an informal lunch, then dropped by the https://miamiflowermarket.com/ closest to Miami International Airport. Among a handful of small market shops, Ruben introduced the team to assorted owners, and explained the difference between premium flowers and local flowers. Local flowers are the quick sale bunches and blooms with a shorter life span, intended for local market distribution without shipping. Premium flowers are flowers that have most recently been imported and are stable enough for a wider North American distribution.

In Conclusion
After strolling the Flower Market District, Ruben and Yola said their goodbyes as they headed off to the AIFD Discover Show in Washington, DC, during the July 4th week. The Consas were all set to meet up at the show with Lovingly Regional Sales Manager, Russ Taylor, and Marketing Director, Mike McEvoy. They were to stand side by side at the AIFD Suppliers Expo to celebrate the pilot launch of Lovingly U.

“The trip was a huge success,” smiles Vega. “We returned brimming with new ideas for the Lovingly U offering, and with a genuine feeling of humility. We were given the red-carpet treatment at every step and felt privileged to be around such dedicated, skilled people. It was clear that we share the same mission: to build relationships through giving and sharing. Great things will bloom for local florists because of this trip.”

Michael Delgorio
Lovingly
(914) 930-6743
email us here

Joe Vega, Ken Garland and Ed Castillo, top management at Lovingly on fact-finding tour of Miami floral leaders. They found optimism and open minds everywhere.