photos via Bloomia.com

Bloomia — international leader in the cut flower industry with farms on four continents — brings its US greenhouse operations in King George, Virginia, into the expanding Fair Food Program…

Just last week we shared news of the Fair Food Program’s expansion into a new state, as we welcomed Smoky Mountain Family Farms of Tennessee into the Fair Food fold.  

And today comes the exciting news of Fair Food Program expansion into a new crop, with the addition of cut flower leader Bloomia to the growing roster of Fair Food Program farms!

For those of you not yet familiar with the tulip titan, here’s a quick description of the company’s extensive reach, and its widely-respected community efforts in the Washington, DC, area, from floraldaily.com:

Bloomia grows nearly 100 million flowers a year, including tulips (year-round) and peonies (seasonally) in 46 acres of temperature-controlled greenhouses. Most of the flowers are grown hydroponically in greenhouses equipped with biological control systems and incorporating precise techniques to avoid chemical use.

In addition to sustainability and energy-efficiency efforts, Bloomia believes in giving back. With initiatives like the Field of Tulips and The Bloomia Market, Bloomia and its customers have donated thousands of dollars to help communities in need through partners charities like DC Central Kitchen that aims to break the cycle of hunger and poverty.

Bloomia farm manager and director Werner Jansen shared a statement on the company’s decision to partner with the Fair Food Program, recently recognized as the gold standard for social responsibility in the agricultural industry:

“As a proud partner of the Fair Food Program, Bloomia is striving to contribute to a better workplace for its workers and the community at large. We appreciate the support from those retailers who recognize the importance of the social-impact and sustainability we aim to achieve. We are looking forward to collaborate with the Fair Food Program  to continuously improve and adopt our HR strategy.”

Whole Foods, a longtime purchaser of Bloomia flowers and Participating Buyer in the Fair Food Program, also weighed in on the news:

“Whole Foods Market’s commitment to social responsibility is reflected in our Whole Guarantee Trade program where safe and fair working conditions are central to the Whole Trade Guarantee mission,” said Erik Brown, Executive Leader of produce at Whole Foods Market.  “We help bring about real, tangible improvements in workers’ lives in our supply chain through our partnership with third party certifiers like the Fair Food Program, with whom we have proudly partnered for over a decade. Whole Foods Market is proud that Bloomia, a longtime partner of ours, has signed on to the Fair Food program as well, making them the first floral supplier to achieve this certification.”

We are excited for the opportunity to work with a company like Bloomia, and to establish the Fair Food Program’s presence in the cut flower industry.  Bloomia’s reputation as a leader in both the marketplace and the community makes it the perfect partner for the Fair Food Program, and we look forward to growing together in the months and years ahead.