This week, I traded in my boots for a pair of flip flops. No, we didn't have a heat wave in Arcata - I travelled down to our So Cal counterpart to experience this side of Sun Valley's operations. So, over the hills and through the fog to the Oxnard farm I went... and what an amazing journey!

Here are some of the magical things I witnessed in the Bouquet Factory...
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"Lemon Drop" Tulips, "Violet Mint" Matsomotos and "Cotton Candy" Lisianthus... |
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Carts full of "Bubblegum" Gerberas... |
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A flaming red "Fireball" Gerbera... |
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Team Members using "Secret Recipes" to make our Bouquets... |
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"Jawbreaker" Seasonal Surge Bouquets, ready to be packed... |
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A "Gumdrop Sea" of Papella Bag arrangements... |
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"Candy Button" Take Me Out arrangements... |
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Finished product rolled on carts to the Packing and Shipping area... |
The buzz in the Bouquet Department never died down throughout my entire visit, not even for a minute. And that is just one component of the farm. For this reason, I wasn't able to pay a visit to the other areas of the farm on this trip. One would need a Glass Elevator to see it all. Due to my lack of said elevator, I'll save the rest of the journey for a later date.
For now, I'm off to the other side of the country to inspect product and observe just a small part of the floral trade from the Miami perspective.
As the ever-busy Willy Wonka said, "So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it."
Look for a recollection of my adventures in the Miami heat next Friday!
The candy names below pictures are not actual product names. Contact your Sales rep for product details: (800)747-8700... And please don't ask for Mr. Wonka!
Lily's Boots (or Flip Flops): Lily Wonka and the Bouquet Factory
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