OWNERSHIP RESIDES WITH THE PEOPLE.
why it matters that maine flower collective is a member-owned cooperative.
The shared ownership of the cooperative model is important because it creates shared prosperity, allowing more members of our community to have decision-making power in the operations of the Collective; ensuring equitable distribution of benefits for all parties involved.
Social Impact - With a group of like-minded individuals uniting to run a business, we keep a mindset of community-focused economic development as we prioritize growth in the local floriculture trade and maintaining equitable access to the goods and services that we provide. Collective investment in the growth of local businesses leads to a stronger community and a stronger local economy.
Environmental Health - Investment in the long-term sustainability of the Collective allows us to continue offering streamlined logistical support to our community giving participants increased access to revenue outlets while also minimizing the carbon footprint of all participants. This provides local flowers growers and wholesale buyers the opportunity to focus on running their businesses in the most sustainable way possible.
Prioritizing Quality - Setting local quality standards & providing educational resources to local growers and buyers leads to delivery of the highest quality product as a reliable alternative to wholesale imported flowers.
how we are making it happen.
background on the route we’ve taken and how you can help us reach our final destination.
Through the combined efforts of some key members, Maine Flower Collective was able to secure a $15,000 grant through the CoBank Rural Impact Equity Match Program to fund part of this van purchase.
We are looking to our community - fellow farmers, designers, flower enthusiasts, local businesses, neighbors, friends, family, supporters of the local flower movement - to help us raise the remaining funds for this investment so that we can continue to provide the logistical services and support to our community as we grow together.
Our goal is to raise $10,000 through community-contributed crowdfunding to help us fund $5,000 towards the price of the van and the additional costs listed below -
Sales Tax
Vehicle Registration
Repainting + Rebranding
DONATION TIERS
How we'd like to express our gratitude to donors.
Tier 1 ($5 - $30) - Thank you card from the MFC team
Tier 2 ($35 - $95) - Thank you card from the MFC team + 1 MFC Sticker
Tier 3 ($100 - $195) - Thank you card from the MFC team + 1 MFC Merch Item*
Tier 4 ($200+) - Thank you card from the MFC team + 1 MFC Merch Item* + 1 Dried Flower Wreath
for every $25 contributed per donor, you will receive 1 raffle ticket. Raffle Prize Options are described below.
Please let us know in the notes of your donation which raffle you’d like your ticket(s) to be entered into. Winners will be drawn at the conclusion of the campaign and will be contacted by our Operations Manager with details on how they can be redeemed. Limit is one prize per donor.
*MFC Merch Items are subject to availability of product and sizes. View our available products here.
Raffle Prizes
The Member-Owners listed below have generously offered raffle prizes to show appreciation to donors for their contributions to this fundraising campaign.
Bounty O' Blooms - Limington, ME - (1) $100 Gift Certificate for an emailed order redeemable between June 15th-September 30th for bouquets/arrangements, or a DIY bucket.
Bumbleroot Organic Farm - Windham, ME - (1) $100 Gift Card to their Saturday farm stand to shop offerings including seedlings, veggies, flowers, and other local products.
Chase's Daily - Belfast, ME - Choice between (1) Tray of Grower’s Choice mix of Annual + Perennial seedlings ($150 value) or (1) Collection of 15 Grower’s Favorite Dahlia tubers.
Eden Street Flowers - Bar Harbor, ME - (1) $100 Gift Card
Lazy Acres Farm - Farmingdale, ME - Choice between (1) $ Gift Card or (1) Grower's Choice Mixed Bucket ($150 value) to be picked up in Farmingdale, ME or from the MFC Hub in Brunswick, ME.
Mare Brook Farm - Brunswick, ME - (1) $75 Gift Card
Paint Box Flower Farm- Orrington, ME - (1) Grower’s Choice Mixed Bucket ($110 value) - Total 60 mixed stems including Peonies to be picked up from the MFC Hub in Brunswick on June 18th, 2025.
help us buy a van!
Your favorite local flower co-op is making moves.
We are excited to share that we are investing in the growth & long-term sustainability of the Maine floriculture economy through the purchase of a van ahead of the 2025 season!
Our Board of Directors, Member-Owners, and staff have been working together to turn the dream of van ownership for Maine Flower Collective into a reality, and now we are seeking additional support from our community to help make it happen!
Maine Flower Collective is a multi-stakeholder cooperative, that was founded with the goal of nurturing collaboration between local flower farmers and wholesale buyers to promote growth in Maine’s floral trade.
We strive to cultivate a sustainable local floriculture industry as a reliable alternative to wholesale imported flowers. Since launching our first season in 2023, we’ve partnered with 38 local farmers to get over 250,000 stems of locally-grown flowers into the hands of over 90 local wholesale buyers. By offering a streamlined ordering and product delivery system, we’ve been able to reduce the carbon footprint and increase the efficiency of Maine flower businesses across the state.
Click here to read our Mission & Goals, and to learn why we are passionate about what we do.
why our members are invested.
member-owner testimonial on the importance of the collective logistics model.
“My farm is very small and I am essentially a one person operation. Without the opportunity to use the Collective's product pick-up service I would miss out on about 40% of my total yearly flower sales. This service is essential to my business model!”
- Mary Lou Hoskins, Cedar Mill Farm - Exeter, ME
“Having a delivery service offering through the MFC has been one of the biggest benefits of being a buyer member of the collective. Before the collective started operating, I spent at least half a day each week driving around to each farm to pick up my local flower order. This was unsustainable for myself and my business and limited the number of farms I could order from each week. I am so grateful for the delivery option to allow me to purchase substantially more local flowers from growers across the state and save 4-6 hours and 100+ miles of driving per week!”
- Michelle Jones, Of the Fields Floral, Springvale, ME
“We love thinking about the Collective as a way for our flowers to carpool with flowers from other growers. We grow about four acres of cut flowers here at Snell Family Farm. We sell to florists on our own but are limited by our van routes and buyers who can pick up at our farm in Buxton. Selling through the Maine Flower Colllective allows us to access florists as far away as Bar Harbor and Skowhegan and in Midcoast, without driving our own van all those miles.”
- Carolyn Snell, Snell Family Farm, Buxton, ME
“The Maine Flower Collective has helped our farm connect with florists and floral designers across the state. The MFC delivery routes extend far beyond our farm's local delivery circuit, which has allowed us to sell flowers to businesses we otherwise wouldn't have access to - from Bar Harbor down to Kittery. We love that so many Maine flower businesses have come together in this effort - it's amazing to see farmers boost their sales through participation in the MFC and buyers seem to love the quality and freshness of local blooms. Not only is the Collective helping small businesses, it's helping to build a more resilient and robust local flower economy that is less reliant on imported flowers.”
- Melissa Law, Bumbleroot Organic Farm, Windham, ME
“Living in Bar Harbor, direct access to local (or any) flowers is very limited, but our demand is huge, particularly during wedding season. Having the ability to have flowers delivered directly to me from the Collective is a game-changer for my business. Without these deliveries, I would likely spend a full day driving around the state to farms and floral distributors, most of whom are 5-6+ hours round-trip--a *huge* investment for a small floral team like ours! MFC deliveries truly make our busy event seasons possible. I've tried to have flowers delivered via mail from other wholesalers, but the quality is never close to what grows locally. Supporting Maine farmers is a huge part of why I do what I do and very truly couldn't do it without the MFC team (and their vans!)”
- Katie Tiehen, Afterglow Floral, Bar Harbor, ME
“Lazy Acres Farm is a small flower farm in the Augusta area. For several years we had been selling wholesale flowers to studio and brick and mortar florists within about a 30 mile radius of the farm. We hadn't been able to justify making a weekly trip further than that given the time it would take one of our small crew away from the farm. And that meant the largest market in the state (Portland) was out of our reach. That first started to change when we joined Rooted Farmers and started to market our flowers beyond our existing delivery routes. The first year we used Rooted, we were shocked at how many Portland area florists were able to drive up to the farm to pick up our flowers as we did not offer delivery. Our sales increased that year, but only by about 20%. Once MFC came online and offered delivery to florists beyond our existing radius, we doubled our sales! We were able to service 3 times as many florists, manage 3 times as many sales, and sold twice the value in flowers!
I believe the demand for local flowers is still much larger than the supply and I see MFC as the best way to help meet that demand. From a farmer's perspective, it's far and away the easiest way for me to move lots and lots of product. But I also know that in order to do that, the Collective needs improved infrastructure. And the model of renting a van simply doesn't make financial sense for the long term. I'll be donating to the campaign, as frankly, I see it as an investment in my own business.”
- Sarah Lutte, Lazy Acres Farm, Farmingdale, ME
“Being located in Central Maine, prior to MFC, getting enough local flowers would've required driving to multiple farms at least an hour away, and often in opposite directions. The travel time greatly limited the amount of local blooms I purchased. Now, with MFC coordinating my orders from farms across the state, not only does it become efficient for me to order more local flowers, I can also order from farms that would have previously been out of reach. Thanks to MFC, I'm able to incorporate many more beautiful local blooms into my designs!”
- Andrea Ault, Honeysuckle Way, Gardiner, ME
