As part of its efforts to help American small businesses save money by giving them access to fresh sources of supply, Plants Without Borders has successfully created a reliable system that provides access to an untapped supply of high-end plants from Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America.
“We’ve established cooperative strategic relationships with international suppliers to build a seamless and functional system that is both reliable and affordable. We started in May of 2021, and since then, our order value in $ terms has increased by 3000%,” said Mark Javier, Founder and CEO of Plants Without Borders.
According to the USDA, 1,503 (12%) of family-owned operations in horticulture went out of business from 2014-2019. Issues ranging from supply chain disruptions, inflation, and labor shortages present economic obstacles that many of these businesses can barely surmount. The increased demand for houseplants may offer a solution, but the plants that consumers will pay the most for are usually hard to find.
“The most desirable specimens are often the finickiest ones. Cultivated from so-called “exotic” species Native to Latin America and Southeast Asia, you can’t get them in random garden shops. Only from elite sellers or by trading with insiders.” – VICE TV, Rare Plants
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