Today we’d like to introduce you to Niesa Putigna.
Hi Niesa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
This farm started from moving out to 13 acres in Oakland Florida. With seven children and two that had recently been adopted we found life was pulling us all apart, so we decided to be a team and form a small flower farm that we work and take care of together, hence the name Farm Nine. For the last three years we have been climbing though the mountains and valleys of flower farming and running a business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There is so little “smooth” that comes with farming. It is a path that is really not fully under human control if it is out of a greenhouse controlled environment, We have learned so many things the hard way, and this learning curve will not end soon. The greatest thing about not really being able to control things is that life leads itself this way. We have had storms roll in and knock out pipes and lines and throw trees everywhere, and we just go out and manage that as a team, hopefully teaching our kids and learning for ourselves to be patient, to work hard and to never give up. Also, failure doesn’t define success, it allows an opportunity to grow and learn, and we always try and remember this.
As you know, we’re big fans of Farm Nine. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We started off growing flowers for the local Winter Garden Farmers Market. This became successful in the sense that people started reaching out for weddings, events, etc., This is where we sat down and had to decide if we just grow and sell or if we wanted to branch out and serve other needs through also getting local wholesale flowers. We knew we wanted to sell more and be able to be more specific to the individual needs, so we decided that we always push for local, but if its unavailable at the time, we would make sure we took care of those needs too through outsourcing, This model is working for us and we are so happy to be growing and buying, and in the end it makes each arrangement unique and full of beauty. The farming aspect is where I will always pour my heart as local farmers and growing is where my life for my business comes from. In the end our goal is to meet our Farm Nine supporters with all the love and care like they are family to us making beautiful arrangements throughout their life time for all their flower needs.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
For anyone starting a flower business in central Florida I would say to reach out to anyone you can including local gardeners, native plant nurseries, other growers and learn from them. Take classes and grab all the information you can and apply it, be ready for change, and find what drives you to love what you do. At Farm Nine we think of each person as someone special to us, and this means more than anything as flowers are a way to convey love to each other.
Pricing:
- online small bouquets $19
- online large bouquets $25
- online mason jars $28
- online Classic bundle $49.99
- Online classic bundle deluxe $87.99
Contact Info:
- Email: info@farmnine.com
- Website: www.farmnine.com
- Instagram: Farm Nine
- Facebook: @flowerflorist
Image Credits
Kiste Photography as kistephotography.com , Madison Leigh Photography @madisonleighphotography
