Opening a flower farm is not a common career path, but launching
Fresh Cut Detroit just made sense for Sarah Pappas.
Pappas has been working in urban agriculture since 2006 when she served as an Americorps member at a non-profit in New York.
"That was my introduction to urban gardening and farming," Pappas says. "I have been farming ever since."
Pappas moved to Detroit to take an urban farming job a Greening of Detroit in 2011, which led to another gig at Keep Growing Detroit.
Eventually, Pappas decided to start her own business based on her interests in urban agriculture. She completed the
D:hive BUILD program and launched
Fresh Cut Detroit from her home in Woodbridge six months ago with the idea of providing fresh-cut flowers to restaurants, events, and weddings.
"It felt like the right time because the local food interest is so strong here," Pappas says. "Plus, the local flower movement has been building over the last 5-10 years."
Starting in May,
Fresh Cut Detroit will operate a flower stand at the corner of W. Forest Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard every Thursday between 4-8 p.m. It also offers a weekly bouquet service, which is currently sold out, though a new session is set to begin in July and run through October. Pappas hopes it will sell out, too, as demand for Fresh Cut Detroit’s flowers continues to grow.
"I'd like to have the same sort of demand that I have today, but more land for production," Pappas says.
Source: Sarah Pappas, farmer & owner of Fresh Cut Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.