Floral Community: Meet the Farmers & Florists Behind the Petals
How your flowers get from our farms and local flower shops to their door, ready to celebrate.
Jan 29, 2026
When you're sending birthday blooms to your best friend or ordering a romantic rose bouquet to celebrate your anniversary, the journey of your flowers begins well before you hit "add to card." In fact, it takes many experts, connections, and community make the magic of 1-800-Flowers.com.
Our flower family network is rich in soil, spirit, and connection, and our chain of supporting farmers, local businesses, and design experts ensure your memories are sent with quality and care.
"We've always been in the relationship business," says Jim McCann, founder of 1-800-Flowers.com. "And it's the relationships behind the flowers with our growers, our florists, our customers that make what we do possible."
For 50 years, our company has cultivated a network of growers, florists, and designers united by a shared belief: Flowers are meant to create connection.
The Journey of Our Farm-Fresh Flowers
Let's start on the high plateaus outside Bogotá, Colombia. Here, sunlight is steady, temperatures are cool, and the flowers we're known for (which also happen to be our founder's favorite), roses, take root in volcanic soil. The agricultural precision of these conditions is nearly perfect for growing and our farmers deeply care about their crops. Kevin Cochran, our vice president of procurement has spent more than three decades cultivating relationships and friendships with growers across Latin America, the United States, and Europe. But his team doesn't just source stems; they also visit each location, physically walk the fields and collaborate closely with farmers to ensure every bloom meets our company's highest standards. (We've been working with some of our farmers for decades!)
"Every stem has a story," Cochran said. "Our job is to make sure that story ends with a smile."
Once harvested, flowers move through a tightly monitored cold chain that holds temperatures at 35 degrees Fahrenheit from farm to fulfillment. This process supports our company's 7-Day Freshness Guarantee, a promise backed by the relationships and trust that make the logistics of our business churn like a well-oiled machine.
"Our customers don't always see the effort behind each arrangement," said Katya Chaparro, director of quality assurance. "But they feel it. Every petal, every placement—it's deliberate."
All About Our Handcrafted Florist-Designed Bouquets
While our flowers begin their journey around the globe, the artful design happens most often in neighborhood flower shops.
At 1-800-Flowers.com, we partner with thousands of local florists across the country—small businesses, family-run shops, and floral artisans who create each design. These local shops are our true collaborators and core to everything we stand by.
"Local florists are at the heart of what we do," said Julia Schramm, director of florist relations. "They're not just fulfilling orders. They're creating experiences."
And they care about our customers just as much as we do.
Case in point, Twinbrook Floral Design in Loudoun County, Virginia, is run by three generations of women, Margaret Fleegal, her daughter Tricia Smith, and granddaughter Morgan. The 18,000-square-foot shop fulfills hundreds of orders, including many from 1-800-Flowers.com.
"Even when we're deep in orders," said Tricia, "we're thinking about the person on the other side, who they're sending to, what the moment means. That's what flowers do."
Twinbrook has helped shape the company's best practices, but the most important thing they deliver isn't training or volume. It's care.
"Our florists are artists," Schramm said. "They take pride in every bouquet. They feel it when something goes wrong and they take joy when something goes beautifully right."
We're a Modern Business—and Deeply Human
The floral business may be rooted in tradition, but it is anything but static. New technologies make ordering easier. Customer expectations and delivery demands are higher than ever. And yet, at its core, the flow of 1-800-Flowers.com remains innately human.
Case in point: A customer ordered the company's popular tabletop holiday tree, not realizing it was a floral arrangement. When the product arrived, they were disappointed. The florist didn't argue or point to the fine print. They went out and bought a real Christmas tree and delivered it that same day.
"That's not something we expect," Schramm said. "But it says everything about the people behind our brand."
AUTHOR
Check out the helpful blog posts written by the 1-800-Flowers.com crew. We have you covered with everything from gifting to flower fun facts to DIYs.
