Touch This, Not That

What makes large-scale international flower production an increasingly unsustainable practice? Think about the way flowers must be grown and harvested to produce billions of identical stems each year: indoor growing, chemical controls and limited regulation. These three factors combined create a perfect storm for hazardous conditions which exploit human workers in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya and Ethiopia. Chemical pesticides are sprayed in greenhouses by workers in hazmat suits. There is little regulation on gear standards or maintenance, which means no guarantee for safe working conditions. Finally, most imported flowers are “dipped” in chemical fungicides before transit on refrigerated airplanes and flown thousands of miles. We recommend reading Flower Confidential for a detailed account of industrial flower farming and human health.

Our flowers by comparison, which are only ever sprayed with compost tea, are safe to sniff, touch and nibble (if they’re an edible variety!) From our children to our workers, to the brides enjoying Yonderyear bouquets on their wedding day, we want everyone to have a pure, joyful experience with everything we grow.