My Interview with David Register from FernTrust Farms

-
You know I love blogging, learning and sharing information about the floral and wedding industry so I've decided to start doing interviews with industry leaders that I admire. My very first interview is with David Register who is the Executive Vice President of FernTrust which was founded in 1986 as a cooperative of quality oriented growers sharing a rich history in the agribusiness and is located in Seville, Florida. I personal have met David and buy his products! 

Thank you David for being my very first interview. I'm always fascinated by flower growers and really wanted to learn more about the cut foliage industry. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me more about yourself and your business! 

Tell us a little about yourself and about your position at FernTrust?
I am 50 years old attended the University of Florida, Love the outdoors and country living.  I have been Married to my wife Alison for almost 26 years  and we have two daughters Victoria and Savanna.  Victoria is 20 years old this month and now working at FernTrust and Savanna graduated from high school this year and Starts at Daytona State college this fall.  I am now the Executive Vice President at FernTrust. 

How did you get into the Foliage Growing industry?
My Grandfather started growing Leatherleaf fern under natural oak shade trees on our farm in 1960… so you can kind of say I was born into it. My family’s farm was actually founded in 1912 and began as a citrus and timber farm but the first Leatherleaf was planted in 1960.  My great, great grandfather originally purchased the farmland we now live on and where the largest part of our farm is located.  It’s ironic but he purchased it from my wife’s family… her original ancestor in Florida on this property was an English sailor whom escaped from the Spanish from the fort in St Augustine back in the 18th century and bought land in this area… so we have deep roots here ;-)

Tell us a little big about the Company and it's history?
In 1986 I was still in college and trying to decide my future.  A few years prior a big freeze came through our part of Florida and killed off all of our citrus trees… some of them were over 100 years old at the time.  My family also had been growing fern on a much smaller scale and selling it to other larger growers locally in our area.  At this time myself, my father and a couple of other growers in our area were considering our options on starting a new foliage company.  We decided on the Cooperative structure and formed FernTrust… I started out as its Operations Manager and in 2002 I became its Executive Vice President.

Tell us about the foliage's you grow, who buys them and how they are used?
We now grow Leatherleaf, Tree Fern, Aspidistra, Variegated and Green Pitt, Ming Fern, Monstera, bottle brush, Sprengeri, ligustrum, variegated ligustrum, Podocarpus, weeping Podocarpus, milkyway, feather fern, selloum leaves, eucalyptus, Plumosus, foxtail, cocculus, redwood cedar, princess pine, Carolina sapphire, magnolia, and many others… close to 40 different varieties of cut foliage’s.  They are exclusively grown to be used by designers and florists worldwide in cut flower arrangements and at special events.

What are you biggest challenges today and how have things changed over the years?
Being an agricultural crop our biggest challenge continues to be the weather and the unpredictability of it… it always has been this since the beginning of time … with many of the advances in technology we can better manage normal weather events now better than ever… but things like tornado's, extreme drought,  freezing temperatures and in Florida hurricanes are always possibilities… and they can be pretty challenging.  Our second biggest challenge has become dealing with our own government and its ever increasing amounts of regulation and tax burdens.  It makes it very difficult to compete with other third world countries that don’t have many of these burdens  in our own country now because of cheap imports and also on a worldwide basis.

What is the best thing about your job/career?
Since our customers are worldwide.. I get to meet and work with people from all parts of our planet and especially every corner of the United states…  I love that I have had the opportunity to travel and see so many places and develop friendships with people from all over the world and all walks of life.  It is rare that a simple farmer which is what I really am be afforded these great opportunities. How many other farmers get to work with people with such great artistic talent as the floral design world…its awesome ;-)

If you could change one thing about your job/career, what would it be? Honestly… I can’t think of anything ;-)

What is the one thing you would want "non florists" to know about your industry?  This is for florists and non florists…  when someone gets a bouquet of flowers or greens for them to really think what it took to get that in that vase on their table.. and to understand the value that they are receiving….  First someone had to build the shade structure and irrigation system that would be used to grow it, next someone had to plant it and care for it till it was ready to harvest (not easy with weather, pests and other forces trying to kill it). Some had to cut each stem by hand with a pair of shears, someone had to transport it from the field to the packing house, someone had to pack it by hand carefully in a box.  Someone had to sell it to a wholesaler.  Someone had to transport it in refrigeration to their corner of the world.  Someone had to sell it again to a flower shop and get it transported there.  Then someone had to carefully un pack it, process it and then create something beautiful with it… all of these people along this chain are trying to make a living just like you and me… its really quite miraculous that this whole process can be done and still be affordable to the consumer
What is your personal favorite foliage?
Leatherleaf ;-)

Is there anything else you'd like us to know about your or your business? If you haven’t taken the time to watch it… check out our FernTrust Segment on the Florida fresh foliage tour on UBloom ~  I  also love being connected to both designers and flower lovers on Facebook on both my personal page and on our company page…

Thanks again David, this was wonderful. Click Here to see J Schwanke's visit to FernTrust! 
Location: 111 Main Street, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a Flower Puppy

-
Image
It's amazing what you can do with 12 carnations and a little bit of creativity. Our Floral Designer Rocio loves making puppy arrangements so here she shares her tips with you! Here's what you will need ~ 12 full size carnations, floral glue, floral tape, a floral container, 1/3 of a block of floral foam and some assorted greenery.  First take your wet floral foam and tape it securely into your floral container.  Slowly start adding the 12 carnations starting with the top to form the head, the ears, the face and the 2 front legs.   Keep going, adding carnations but only using 12 total!  Now he has his 2 front legs, sitting over the edge of the container.  Using the floral glue, add the eyes and the nose. Be creative here. We use eyes and noses for the floral industry but you can use felt, screws or even a pip cleaner to form these facial features.   Next, start filling in with assorted greenery and mosses. This will become his little bed!  Be sure to f
Read more

What is a Grave Blanket?

-
Image
Never heard of a Grave Blanket? Don't worry, your probably aren't alone. Here in the north east is customary to have a lovely "blanket" made from ever greens and winter accents to be placed on the grave of a loved one.  It's just a nice remembrance during the holiday season to make the graveside look a bit more decorated and festive.  According to Ask.com   "A  Grave blankets are a type of flower design that is used to decorate graves. They are made in a variety of sizes and styles, for example, standard, cascading, traditional, and double wide. Each of these styles has a specific design and flower capacity . I chucked when I read that because we make all of our Grave Blankets custom for each customer and no two ever look exactly the same. The folks who order them from us are looking for something lush and beautiful with many holiday and winter accents like this one that has golden lotus pods, ilex winter berry, glittered pine cones, red velvet rib
Read more

All of Your Prom Corsage and Boutonniere Questions- Answered!

-
Image
All of Your Prom Corsage and Boutonniere Questions- Answered! What is a prom corsage? A prom corsage is a small floral arrangement to be worn on a female’s wrist or collar. The prom corsage is typically purchased and given to her by her prom date. The wrist corsage is the most common kind, and is typically chosen to match the prom dress. What is a boutonniere? A boutonniere is a floral design worn by a male on the lapel of a suit or tux. The boutonniere is typically bought for him by his prom date and is chosen to match the prom corsage. What wrist is the corsage worn on? Proper etiquette calls for the corsage to be worn on the left wrist, unless the person wearing it is left-handed. If left-handed, the corsage can be worn on the right wrist. Do the corsage and boutonniere have to match? It is not a rule that they match, however the couple will look more put together if they do. The boutonniere gives a touch of color to match the male to his prom date though
Read more