If you relate the insatiable demand for foliage by consumers to the shark in “Jaws,” then the piddly boat Brody, Quint and Hooper were on could be analogous to our industry. Consumers in North America are ravenous for more and more interesting plants while we’re all pushing as hard as we can to satiate that hunger … and still coming up short!

REFLECTING BACK ON 2020

When COVID-19 first reared its ugly head early last year, many of us were unsure what it would mean for our industry. At ForemostCo, we had been seeing a meaningful but manageable increase in demand for our young plants over the previous few years, and we expected similar increases in 2020.

When the first shut down occurred, like so many others, we feared this would be detrimental to our business and our industry. Little did we know that the pandemic would end up acting as a catalyst, skyrocketing demand! Now that people were no longer spending discretionary income on travel and nights out at a restaurant or movie, they found other ways to occupy themselves. One of those ways was by purchasing — and having delivered — houseplants!

By June 2020, it was clear that the “spring rush” was not ending anytime soon. By July, we quickly realized we were selling out fast — not just of current availability, but also for the coming year. Well darn, better start building more greenhouses and planting more stock plants! I wonder if we can will the plants to grow faster? Anyone have luck with that yet?

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