Part Farmer, Part Mermaid, and 100% Legit.
Farmermaid Flowers was founded by Courtney Mellblom in 2016, after her completion of a certificate in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems from UC Santa Cruz, where, after 10 years of working on and managing vegetable operations, she discovered the magic of flowers.
For the first five years of the business, she grew her flowers on two locations, both leased. The main field production took place at an organic farm in Atascadero, CA and greenhouse crops were produced in a leased hoop house from a commercial nursery in Los Osos, CA. In 2021, she was finally able to purchase some acreage of her own and began moving her farming operations to her land in Arroyo Grande in early 2022. Currently, she is working non-stop, building up a new farm from scratch, while still leasing nearby acreage from a neighboring farm.
Sourcing seed from small-scale, specialty producers from all over the world, Courtney grows unique, hard-to-find varieties for her local community. Farmermaid Flowers are available wholesale to florists and retailers. Professionally designed arrangements are available at Farmers Markets, through seasonal Bouquet Subscriptions, and for wedding clients.
FARMING PRACTICES
Sustainable, Local, Organic & Regenerative Agriculture
Courtney has an academic background in Sustainable Agriculture & Plant Biology and has been farming organically since 2005. Her connection with the earth and the ocean places clean water, healthy soil, and rich biodiversity as her top priorities as a farmer.
While she pours her sweat, blood, and tears (literally, all three) into the farm, she certainly does not pour any toxic chemicals or spray any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides that could harm plants or wildlife downstream. She uses Regenerative Agriculture practices to sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase biodiversity.
Both a farmer and a mermaid, she is perfectly at home on the Central Coast and seeks to love and protect both land and sea by growing flowers equally suited to this unique niche.
DESIGN AESTHETIC
Loose, Organic, Natural
Inspired by the raw, untamed beauty of the Central Coast and the movement and elegance of the ocean, she creates loose, wild, and organic arrangements that echo the breathtaking beauty of her surroundings.
She views flowers as her artistic medium, but given her academic background and professional training, she approaches her crops with the interest of a botanist and cultivates them with a farmer’s efficiency. To Courtney, choosing what to plant is like growing her own set of art supplies that she gets to use and share with her retail and wholesale customers, all season long.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Planting, harvesting & sharing love
Courtney has a deep connection to all that she grows, cultivates and sustains, and feels deeply honored when her work can help people to communicate the love and friendship they have for one another, bless a new birth, or honor a life that has passed.
When she has extra flowers, she likes to bring them to places where there are people in need of a little extra love and sunshine, like the local Women’s Shelters, for example, because, let’s face it, there are a lot of jerks in this world, and we all just need more love.
