Farmgirl Flowers is a flower market in San Francisco that “reduces waste, minimizes environmental impact, and passes the savings on” to its customers. The company buys only American grown flowers instead of importing like its big competitors (FTD Flowers, 1-800-Flowers). While importing flowers from South America is cheaper, Farmgirl keeps its prices competitive by not giving customers a choice in arrangement. Farmgirl picks fresh flowers that are available locally and creates designer-quality arrangements “for the generic e-commerce price.”
Farmgirl Flowers was founded in 2010 by former event planner Christina Stembel. The 37-year-old continues to expand the business in Los Angeles, and now New York City, but she needs cash to meet her goals. She asks Marcus Lemonis of The Profit for an investment but when he arrives to work, she says she doesn’t want to send the message that “this guy had to come in and save our company.” (Lemonis seems surprised: that’s what he does. He’s also surprised at her crazy $20 million valuation.) When Lemonis asks Stembel why she hasn’t been able to raise money, she says, “Because I’m a woman.” Stembel says “It doesn’t make sense that 100% of all the flower startups that have received funding are founded by men. 78% of flowers are bought for women from women.” The Profit airs Tuesdays at 10pm on CNBC.
