Big Grower July 2021 - 7

COVER STORY
A DIVERSE FUTURE
As Moss Greenhouses prepares to enter its
eighth decade in business, the Moss family is
always looking for new opportunities that they
can specialize in.
" We are always trying to diversify, " Jennifer
Fifteen years ago, Kevin and Dana Moss started an Employee Stock Ownership Program for its
employees. Today, the company is 35% employee owned, while the Moss family owns the remaining
65% of the company.
want [our retail operation] to compete against
our wholesale customers. [Our retail price] is
always a full markup of our wholesale price in
our retail center. We never budge on that. We
want to give our wholesale customers every
opportunity to make as much money as possible
on our products. "
Jennifer says when it comes to marketing
she is always focusing on the next generation
of consumers, not their current customer base.
One of the key areas she is aiming at is the
houseplant category. " I'm a firm believer in
the Plant Parent movement. Houseplants are
something our industry has to pay attention
to because they are the 'gateway drug' for
millennials and Gen Z. We have got to pay
attention to that generation because they are
going to dictate completely new buying patterns
in the future. "
The retail operation also offers custom
container planting, educational and entertaining
events for consumers and students, socially
distanced greenhouse tours and other related
activities.
Regular Facebook Live sessions in the garden
center are popular with customers. During
these sessions, Jennifer " walks and talks "
around the garden center showing off the
latest and greatest products while answering
consumers' questions.
says. They have added more and more
houseplants to their catalog that they re-wholesale
to their customers. Even with supply challenges
facing the industry, the category is growing
rapidly for the company.
Last winter, they trialed a caladium program for
the holiday season instead of growing poinsettias.
Initial response was very positive and Jennifer
says the are continuing to evaluate the product
line for the future.
They also grow shoulder crops such as carrots,
beets and potatoes. And, they are participating in
a natives projects where they have been growing
Douglas fir trees in test tubes that eventually
will be planted as part of fire/drought restoration
projects.
And the company has plans to begin a new
program to produce hemp plant startlets on a
contract basis for hemp farmers.
" We are diversifying our menu, so to speak,
focusing on [other categories] because we want to
keep our people here year-round, but we have to
have enough for them to do.
" We're being asked to do a lot of different things.
We need to make sure that [they] fit within our
core business and business policies ... and make
sure we are always really good at what we do! "
gpn
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Big Grower July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Grower July 2021