Q&A with the Twin Cities Flower Exchange

The Twin Cities Flower Exchange is a local & sustainable wholesale flower market in Minneapolis. Founder Christine Hoffman’s guiding phrase is "Plants as healers. This space is here to support our local floral and small business community and inspire creativity.”

Christine! We are so used to seeing roses at the market all year round. It’s pretty weird when you think about it. Tell us about seasonality and the folks who are growing flowers here in Minnesota. 

Jamie! It IS weird and most people don't think about it. Where do those flowers come from? 80-85% of the cut flowers we buy in the US are imported! Luckily, small scale flower farming is making a comeback and The Exchange is here to connect Midwest flower growers with businesses that use flowers.

I love shopping at The Exchange, and I’m not a florist, so I feel like I'm infiltrating your magical world. Every week I see something new, gorgeous and exotic seeming. But it's all local!  What are some cool things that people might love to know about the amazing things growing here?

That's what is so fun! People are always surprised at what we can grow locally. Sometimes people have overlooked lots of things that grow here because we're used to seeing the grocery store selection.

Why does it matter to support sustainable practices and small businesses in the floral industry?

The wholesale flower industry is an unhealthy supply chain in many ways. Lots of chemicals, a huge footprint (planes, trucks, cold storage, packaging-so much packaging) and lots of stress moving a delicate perishable product. Supporting small local farms AND the businesses using local flowers helps foster this new model and a healthier community and economy. Yay!

Ummm, tell us  your favorite flower!

The perennial (pun intended) question. I'm more of a foliage gal.