Glad-A-Way Gardens began 70 years ago as a two-acre gladiolus farm selling locally. It is now a 550-acre farm (seen here) that sells nationally.
The Society of American Florists’ membership includes all segments of the industry — and that community is the heart of SAF. This bi-weekly feature spotlights SAF members sharing inspirational stories, professional insights, and the opportunity to form new industry connections.
Glad-A-Way Gardens was founded in 1953 and is celebrating 70 years of business this year. Their farm began as a two-acre gladiolus farm, selling to the public from a roadside stand in northern California. The founders, John Canine and his sons, Neal and Jean, had customers who came “a ways” to buy their flowers, leading them to name the business “Glad-A-Way.”
The business expanded into the San Francisco Flower Market. Eventually, production moved to the central coast of California, where more than 550 acres of gladiolus are in production under the ownership of Brian Caird and his family.
Biggest Challenges
Glad-A-Way’s flowers are 100 percent field grown and subject to the recent severe winter weather including relentless rain, gloomy days and freezing temperatures. The farm even saw snow.
“California flower growers also face incredible logistics challenges,” says Olivia Morgan, sales and key account manager at Glad-A-Way. “Getting our high-end material to our customers in a fast, cost-effective way can be difficult. We rely on and work very closely with flower shippers and cold-chain trucking to ensure we can ship product year-round.”
Secret to Success
Glad-A-Way prides itself on being family-owned, Morgan says.
“ generations of local families at the helm of our operations, harvesting, and sales teams for decades,” Morgan says. “Our Glad-A-Way farms have several employees with 30-plus years of employment with the company, and we are proud to have a tradition of being at the heart of these families.”
What’s Trending
White gladiolus account for nearly 40 percent of the demand for their color assortment right now, but color trends vary with the season. Pastels are popular in the spring and jewel tones are popular in the fall, Morgan says.
“We try to offer all colors year-round, as wholesalers need specific options and mass market retailers prefer a specific holiday mix,” she says.
Why SAF?
Glad-A-Way joined SAF for the support it provides to growers and suppliers. Their favorite thing about being a member is going to events where they connect with customers and other flower farmers.
“SAF allows us to gather and pull in the same direction,” Morgan says. “Our funds and efforts are pooled, which provide collective support and advocacy for otherwise small businesses.”
Glad-A-Way was recently featured on SAF’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Do you know a member who should have a chance in the spotlight? Email Stephanie Brady, project manager for SAF.
Stephanie Brady is the project manager for the Society of American Florists.
