A changing environment Increasing costs for things such as fuel, fertilizer, water and labor have challenged farmers across the board. For example, Mellano says the cost of water for his farm increased more than 700% over the past three decades. “We’re having to change more rapidly than we ever have in the past in order to maintain profitability and competitiveness,” he says.
Supply chain After cutting its flowers, Mellano & Co. sends some of them to four wholesale distribution centers it owns in Southern California and Las Vegas, while the majority go to other wholesalers and bouquet manufacturers across the United States. From there, the flowers are “sold into mass market channels,” Mellano says, referring to retailers such as florists and grocery stores.
Myrtle
Waxflower
Visitors welcome It’s not uncommon for cut flower farmers to open their farms on a seasonal basis for agritourism when flowers are in full bloom. The Flower Fields in Carlsbad opens annually in March and April. Visitors can walk around the field perimeters, take tractor rides and do other activities. “It engages the public,” Mellano says.
Flowers and foliage Mellano grows about 30 varieties of flowers and foliage. “Most of them are not flowers that people would recognize,” he says. The company mainly produces perennial flowers and foliage as fillers for bouquets, where they complement more prominent varieties such as roses or tulips that are imported from South America. Flowers that Mellano grows include myrtle, delphinium and waxflower.
Caleb Hampton champton@californiabountiful.com
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