A figurehead amongst flower farmers across the world, Erin Benzakein founded Floret Farm in the Skagit Valley, Washington in 2001. The inspiring, author, flower farmer, breeder and social media sensation, Benzakien has spent years championing the seasonal flower movement by growing and developing cut flower varieties for gardeners, farmers and designers. Now, as an independent seed breeder, Floret supplies seeds for local growers to gain an advantage in the marketplace on account of their distinction from mass market varieties.
To be released later this week, Benzakien and film director Rob Finch created a new three-part documentary series, which cuts through the beauty and triumphs of flower farms, to show the real graft, challenges and tribulations of growing flowers.
“We give our whole lives to it, but we really wish people knew that it wasn’t us walking around in a big straw hat in this beautiful setting. That is just not the life we are living,” explained Benzakien.
The product of a ten month journey, The Beautiful Pursuit features interviews with 30 working flower farmers from around the world, to document what it really takes to be a flower farmer. The series, includes some of the UK’s well know flower famers such as Georgie Newbery from Common Farm Flowers, Rachel Siegfried from Green and Gorgeous, Milli Proust from Alma|Proust and Andrea McDowell from Dahlia Beach.
“The idea behind the series was to go beyond the way flower farming is often portrayed on social media and show what it really takes to bring local flowers to our community. If you watch it, you will see some interview clips with me, as well as some eye opening videos from other flowers farms. When you buy flowers from our farm, you’re not only receiving beautiful blooms—you’re also supporting a way of life that requires dedication, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. This three-part series shows why your support means so much to farms like our,” explained Green & Gorgeous founder Rachel Siegfried.
The introduction to The Beautiful Pursuit, explaining how it came about is available to watch here.
