Seven years ago, when Emma and Alexia Kelsey opened their floral business, Kindred Blooms, they didn’t think much about where the flowers they worked with came from or what the blooms had been sprayed with.
Then Alexia got pregnant. The sisters did some research and were shocked at what they found out, Emma said. They decided to look for chemical-free plant material and to buy as much locally as possible.
Their goal was made easier by the Twin Cities Flower Exchange, a St. Paul flower market that opened in 2017. The exchange, which sells only to wholesalers, deals in flowers and plant material from 19 chemical-free growers in the region. The 80 buyers range from local floral giant Bachman’s to smaller businesses such as Kindred Blooms.
Exchange owner and founder Christine Hoffman is driven by her conviction that the floral industry should be greener. Her dedication and the resulting growth of the exchange are partly why the third annual Slow Flowers Summit will be held in St. Paul on July 1 and 2.
The gathering, expected to draw up to 150 people, focuses on supporting American flower farmers by using local flowers in season.