In This Issue ...

1. Come Spend Some Time Together!
2. The Fourth Slow Flowers Summit - A Great Success! 
3. Thursd - Your Floral Meetup Spot
4. Featured New Member "Haus Of Stems"
5. Transportation
6. Welcome New CalFlowers Members

Upcoming Events:

August 2021

CalFlowers "Member Appreciation" Meeting
August 6
San Diego, CA

September 2021

SAF Orlando
September 21-23
Loews Royal Pacific Resort
Orlando, FL

World Floral Expo 2021
September 22 - 24
Jacob K. Javits
Convention Center
New York, NY

November 2021
California State Floral Association Presents:
CaliFlora 2021
November 6 & 7
Carlsbad Floral Trade Center
Carlsbad, CA

2022 SAVE THE DATE

Fun 'N Sun
"All About Flowers"
Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2022
Hotel del Coronado
Coronado, CA

Click Here to Rediscover the California legend - Hotel del Coronado.

World Floral Expo 2022
TBD
New York, NY

Latest Legislation
Updates:

Click Here to read the latest Legislative updates.

 CalFlowers
Social Media

Visit the CalFlowers Facebook page 

Check in for news, upcoming events, photos, and topical items.  

July
Flowers of The Month:

July’s birth flowers the larkspur and water lily are dramatic head turners, with one being the star of water features and the other capable of growing a towering spike of flowers!  

THE LARKSPUR

Each color variation of the larkspur has a different meaning:

• Pink means fickleness
• White conveys a happy nature
• Purple normally represents a first love
• Blue signifies grace

Generally, larkspur indicates strong bonds of love.

THE WATER LILY

The other July birth flower is the water lily, which symbolizes purity and majesty.

Aside from being lovely in their own right, water lilies are often used in ponds to deter the growth of algae and to shade and cool the water for resident fish and frogs.

CalFlowers
Featured
"New Member" Spotlights

To see all of our past Featured "New Member" Spotlight stories Click Here.

Past CalFlowers Newsletters & COVID-19 Updates

Click Here to view past CalFlowers Newsletters and COVID-19 Updates, now available on our website.

CalFlowers News

Come Spend Some Time Together!

The entire board and staff of CalFlowers would like to extend an enthusiastic invitation to the CalFlowers Member Appreciation Meeting to be held at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in beautiful downtown San Diego!

In lieu of the semiannual Member Meeting, we have decided to create the opportunity for you to come enjoy not only some exciting presentations, but also some great networking opportunities.  Let’s not even use the word “networking” and instead call it “seeing all your industry friends again”! 

Friday, August 6 is structured to give you the benefit of an excellent room rate at a top San Diego property (through the entire weekend if you choose), a fun Happy Hour, a walk across the iconic pedestrian bridge (pictured above) to a fantastic night for the whole family at Petco Park in a private area with food and drinks.  

CalFlowers supports so many important industry initiatives, and we’d like you to learn much more about our programs.  To that end, J Schwanke will be presenting to us the huge expansion of his show “Life in Bloom” currently reaching millions of households.  Ramiro Penaherrera and Bernardo Beate will be on hand to explain the powerful Memorial Day Flowers Foundation and its mission to place a flower on the gravesite of every fallen U.S. soldier.  And CalFlowers has some important news of our own to share to cap off a content-rich afternoon meeting.

We sincerely hope that you take this opportunity for an information-packed and fun-filled trip to San Diego.  This is a great opportunity to see old friends, have a great time, and learn the many important ways CalFlowers is working to help “More Americans enjoy more flowers more often”.

Both the hotel room blocks and the Padres tickets are limited, so don’t hesitate to reserve your seat at the CalFlowers Member Appreciation Meeting.  We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

Just Announced
Raffle Prizes!!!!

REGISTER NOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING 6 RAFFLE PRIZES
(Must Be Present To Win -
Member Appreciation Meeting Attendees Only)

• 1 - FREE Registration to the 2022 Fun 'N Sun Convention (Hotel del Coronado)
• 2 - $200 Southwest Airlines Gift Card (2 winners)
• 1 - $100 Amazon Gift Card
• 1 - $100 Best Buy Gift Card
• 1 - Printed Membership Directory

The Fourth Slow Flowers Summit - A Great Success! 

The fourth Slow Flowers Summit 2021 has just wrapped up and we are still on a high from the experience. Thanks to a beautiful setting and magnificent weather, not to mention incredible programming, the experience for 140 florists, designers, growers, farmers, and creatives was unforgettable. The Summit took place 100% outdoors, lending a garden party vibe to the atmosphere on June 28-29, 2021.

Our venue was Filoli Historic House and Garden in Woodside, California, where attendees were inspired by the formal gardens, production and greenhouse operations for food and flowers, a mature orchard and incredible hospitality from Filoli's leadership and amazing horticulture staff.

CalFlowers joined in as Supporting Sponsor, sharing the many benefits of membership through a welcoming message from board member Lisa Filice of Regional Farms Inc. 

The speaker lineup was a huge draw, connecting the audience with popular and inspiring floral artists and designers who graced the Slow Flowers Summit stage. Keynote speaker Susan McLeary presented twice, sharing a message about The Creative Journey, and demonstrating sustainable methods for large-scale floral installations. Berkeley-based designer Max Gill (of Chez Panisse Restaurant fame) and Pilar Zuniga of Oakland-based Gorgeous and Green brought their unique styling to their designs, and the audience gained more insights from authors Lorene Edwards Forkner, Abra Lee and Jennifer Jewell. Moderated by Kellee Matsushita-Tseng, an instructor at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, our featured panel brought together the two primary influences of the Slow Flowers community: Flower Farming and Sustainable Floristry. Kellee was joined by Brooklyn-based florist Molly Culver of Molly Oliver Flowers and former Filoli horticulture staff member Emily Saeger, as the three discussed how flower farming can inspire one's design practice.

An interactive design activity centered around the Filoli historic mansion. The rooms were turned over to our attendees to "flower," with a proliferation of local, California-grown blooms donated by generous farms, gardens, and the grounds of Filoli. The results were stunning and remained on display for several days for Filoli visitors to enjoy.

On the Summit’s final day, Wednesday, June 30th, Summit guests toured KB Farms and CamFlor Inc. Thank you to Robert Kitayama of KB Farms and Carlos Cardoza and the Campos Family of CamFlor Inc., fellow Slow Flowers Members for making this flower-filled day happen!

Even as we survey guests for their feedback and wrap up the final loose ends, Slow Flowers Society already has the fifth Slow Flowers Summit 2022 in the planning stages. The Slow Flowers Summit will return to the east coast for 2022, and we have a fabulous venue, an abundance of locally grown flowers, awesome design inspiration and sustainable ideas for you and your floral enterprise!

Our venue is the celebrated Stone Barn Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Pocantico, New York. It's located just 45 minutes north of Manhattan near the Tarrytown area at the gateway to the Hudson Valley, and is home to the famed Blue Hill Restaurant, where Chef Dan Barber's farm-to-table menu has earned multiple James Beard Awards.

We can't wait to take a deep dive into the methods and practices being taught here. The Summit gives us a chance to learn from artists, innovators, thought leaders and practitioners whose commitment to domestic flowers will change your world.

Learn more at slowflowerssummit.com.

Thursd - Your Floral Meetup Spot

Thursd is the online place to share floral stories about your company and products. With an unprecedented international audience, Thursd offers an effective way to showcase products, portfolios, and companies. Thursd shows many connections in a transparent way. From products, breeders, and growers to traders, florists, and consumers.

What is Thursd? 

Thursd is a platform where visitors come to be informed about what is going on in floriculture and related topics. From floral designers showing their creations, to breeders sharing their latest novelties with the world - Thursd is the place where industry professionals come together. A platform that lends itself extremely well for business promotions, announcing events, showcasing products, and exchanging knowledge specifically catered to the floriculture trade and florists. With a wide range of floral stories, in-depth articles, contributing floral designers and companies, and a dedicated team of industry professionals working behind the scenes, there is something new to discover on the platform almost daily. 

"Thursd has grown into one of the leading platforms for international professionals in floriculture and is well on its way to become the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information."

Click Here to learn more about Thursd.

Featured New Member

Based in Los Angeles, California, Haus of Stems is a botanical art studio working to meld the worlds of fine art and flowers. The brainchild of Kristen Alpaugh (pictured left) (@flwrpstl), who you might recognize from the HBO Max show, Full Bloom -  Haus of Stems is best known for their iridescent anthuriums, also called irithurium. Designed to invigorate and inspire, irithuriums have been called "floral caviar" by more than one happy florist. Their upcoming collections will feature other boundary bending florals as they continue their quest to enhance and highlight the best nature has to offer.

To learn more about Haus of Stems Click Here.
To follow Haus of Stems on Instagram Click Here.

Transportation

Our overnight carriers are still struggling with record volumes and this challenging time is expected to continue in the near-term future.  With that, we recommend looking carefully at the service level you choose when evaluating delivery time options.  We strongly suggest choosing PRIORITY OVERNIGHT as this will give your shipment the highest level of service available that delivers earlier, as this helps to keep your customers expectations in line with the current environment.

As you may have noticed, we signed our latest contract with FedEx for 2021 and beyond.  Our Express blended discount has now improved to 72.7%.  You will see significant price reductions on Express.  But that’s not all, we have improved all discounts on all contract services including FedEx Ground.  These rates and complete FedEx program information are now available on our  CalFlowers Members' Only website.  Members using their log-ins can access this information anytime.  Rates on FedEx, GLS, OnTrac, and airlines can all be found, as well as other handy information.  For questions or comments on any of our programs, please contact Chris Johnson for assistance at (760) 533-5580 or [email protected].

As is normally the case in July, hot weather can be an issue.  We recommend checking with FedEx for any Service Alerts that can affect shipping:  https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-alerts.html.  These Service Alerts are issued daily and can be helpful in managing your expectations during inclement weather

For those members wanting to reference the latest Surcharges and Fees for 2021, we have posted this information on our website or members can CLICK HERE.  You will find a handy summary of what to expect for the year.  Remember, CalFlowers members have many significant discounts off of these surcharges which add excellent value to our program.  For a list our surcharge discounts, please refer to the FedEx Program Summary on our website

To all our new members who are just starting with FedEx shipping, they have a nice “Customer Training” service that is available upon request.  This service offers shippers direct one-on-one assistance from FedEx covering many of the questions new shippers may have.  If you are interested in signing up, please contact Chris Johnson [email protected].  FedEx also has some excellent information for new shippers on their website.  Visit: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/get-started.html for a good summary of what FedEx offers.

For qualifying members wanting to contact their local FedEx representative, feel free to contact me and I will put you in touch with the right person.  It’s always a good idea to establish a relationship with your local FedEx field representatives who can help out when you need them or have questions.  

For members needing FedEx Tech Support, this phone number takes your right into the department (877) 339-2774.  They can help with many tech related issues including guidance regarding on-line shipping platforms.

We would also like to remind members to stay current with their FedEx Express shipping invoices.  FedEx payment terms are 15 days.  All members shipping on FedEx Express are expected to stay within the FedEx payment terms.  To obtain your invoice details and payment options, please contact FedEx Customer Service.

For members who wish to move PALLETIZED freight on FedEx, CalFlowers can help direct you to customized solutions and pricing.  FedEx Freight is an excellent option when your shipments call for pallets.  Interested members should contact Chris Johnson at [email protected] for more information.

GLS is also reporting very strong member volumes at this time which can affect on-time deliveries in some areas.  With the heat of summer with us, using extra cooling measures in your boxes is a good idea and we highly recommend doing so.

The CalFlowers GLS program is one of our fastest growing, most value-priced offerings, with discounts over 70% off standard rates.  GLS offers later pick-ups and earlier deliveries while providing express door-to-door services covering CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, NM, UT and ID.  Members who want to ship on GLS must sign up in advance. It’s easy and just takes a few minutes.  Please contact Chris Johnson for more details at (760) 533-5580 or [email protected].   

Please use the Delivery Rates & Times Calculator to view delivery dates and estimated.

The Money-Back-Guarantee is still currently suspended at GLS.  We hope this will be re-instated soon. We are monitoring the situation closely and will post updates as appropriate.

For members looking for the 2021 OnTrac program and rates, they are now available at www.cafgs.org.  Our program this year features many reductions in various surcharges that offer great value to customers.  Be sure to check out what’s new with OnTrac.

We know that OnTrac got their start in California and services every ZIP code within California, but did you know OnTrac also services seven other Western States?  OnTrac has 2-day service into WA, OR, ID, NV, UT, AZ, and CO.  And to help understand the service parameters, OnTrac has a very nice “Time and Transit Map” under Zip Tools on their website.  This handy map loaded from YOUR zip code helps you understand OnTrac’s overnight commitment areas.  To download your map, please visit: https://www.ontrac.com/servicesareas.asp.

Changes to Our Service Guarantee
The Money-Back Service Guarantee on OnTrac is still suspended.

Airlines: 

If you have been taking advantage of our new CalFlowers/Alaska Airlines shipping program, you know this offering really delivers when it comes to value.  Our program offers excellent pricing to many areas of the country from California, while adding a few new destinations such as Seattle, Portland and Anchorage.  Check out all the program details on our website.

For those members looking for airline service to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton out of LAX and SFO, consider Air Canada Cargo.  Our discounted pricing offers good value and frequent service.  For more information on these new rates from Air Canada, visit our website or contact me anytime at [email protected].

As a reminder, JetBlue offers CalFlowers members exceptional express prices out of LAX / SFO to Boston, New York, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and now NEWARK (EWR). 

These new rates are some of the best that we’ve see in some time.  For more information, please contact Chris Johnson at [email protected] or Mark Friedenthal at JetBlue Cargo (310) 490-2659.

NOTE: Transportation Rate information and documents are viewable/downloadable as PDFs on the CalFlowers Members Only site. Please note that these documents are considered sensitive material and are available to the primary contacts for Ag Buddy, Associate Floral, Associate Grower, and Floral members.

Welcome New CalFlowers Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members from June 23 through July 19, 2021:

www.cafgs.org 

Ph. 831-479-4912 | Fax 831-479-4914