The Fresh Bunch

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers, we are joined by our fabulous friend, Dr. Reverend Rob Gooljar.  Gooljar is the face and hair behind IRIS Blossom, a luxury retail and event florist serving clients in Charlotte, North Carolina, the greater South Florida area, and globally through travel.  Listen in as we discuss Rob's backstory, his heritage, his path to a PhD i...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready to tune in for a good time on this week’s episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers ! We’re channeling our excitement as we sit down with the one and only J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, CFD, PFCI—the creative mastermind behind J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom . J's hit show airs nationwide on public television, bringing floral magic into over 415 markets across the USA. With six seas...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we're thrilled to chat with the one and only Donald Yim! From his humble beginnings as a delivery truck driver in his sister's flower shop in Hong Kong to becoming an award-winning designer and educator, Donald shares his incredible journey. With over 35 years of experience, Donald’s story is packed with inspiration, optimism, and practical tips like the...

Send us Fan Mail Ep. 136 - Expo Flor Ecuador 2024 - Live From Quito with Jet Fresh GrowersThis week's episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers takes listeners on an international trip to ExpoFlores Flor Ecuador, where the Jet Fresh Flower Growers team has unveiled a groundbreaking product for the North American floral market. The introduction of VIP Choco and Wax Roses, now cultivated at Jet Fre...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers , we’re thrilled to welcome Paige Kennicott Jaques of Kennicott Kuts! Join us as Paige takes us on a journey back to 1836, sharing her family’s rich history in the floral industry from the horse and buggy days to today. As an 8th generation floral professional, she reflects on her childhood spent on the farm and in the wholesale...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers episode ,  we chat with the enchanting Talia Craig of Petunia’s Floral! Talia shares her unique journey from a successful hairstylist to a floral specialist after a life-changing accident. After a little binge-watching of Bob Ross during Covid she swapped her hair scissors for floral wire and began her floral journey.  Talia found a great...

Send us Fan Mail This week on 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers, we're chatting about the importance of community with special guest Valerie Crisostomo, the founder of Black Girl Florist. Valerie takes us on her professional journey from event management to her growing world of flowers, where she discovered her passion for designing  and created a much-needed community. Despite the challenges, she t...

Send us Fan Mail Fatties bring out your cheer gear and get ready for an uplifting episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers ! With Fern and Ryan out, Mike has brought in a special guest, Rodi Groot, a powerhouse in the floral world. Rodi, a second-generation Dutch floral expert, shares the fascinating journey of how he and his team launched their new floral company, Groot in Flowers. From his roots in...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for a special episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers as we hand the mics over to a dynamic group of rising floral Next Gen’s. With Mike and Fern taking a break, a powerhouse lineup of floral friends from across the United States steps in to save the day. From discussing puzzles and essential tech tools to exploring Gen Z lingo and the exciting upcoming Next Gen live events,...

Send us Fan Mail Join us in this momentous episode as we welcome a true trailblazer in the world of flowers, Caroline Marshall-Foster. Broadcasting all the way from the UK, Caroline is a 3rd generation floral professional who has woven her rich family heritage into the pages of modern floral history books. As the head honcho of Florist Magazine , Purple Spotted Media , and the Good Florist Guide ,...

Send us Fan Mail This week on 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers , we’re thrilled to have the sensational Alexander Campbell—social media’s floral maestro with a whopping 1.3 million followers! Alexander’s journey is as colorful as his creations, from arranging blooms with his mum and Grandma Queenie to studying floral design in London and sprinkling magic in Madrid. Find out how his TikTok flower mash-up...

Send us Fan Mail Fore! In this week’s Two Fat Guys Talking Flowers episode, we’re swinging into action with a special live recording from the 2nd Annual Blooms + Birdies Golf Tournament at Normandy Shores Country Club! The event was a hole-in-one, bringing together industry pros for a day of fun, flowers, and philanthropy—all in support of the Society of American Florists' (SAF) Advocacy effo...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers, we are a "Fatty down" missing Fernando but Mike, Mimi, Ryan, and Joel brought in a knowledgeable special guest, Carmen Marquez Campbell of Ball Horticulture to keep up the energy.  You may have met Carmen at one of the very many trade shows and fairs around the world, and you've definitely seen her company&a...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for a laugh and a good time on this week's episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers! Our special guest is none other than Dennis Wheeler, the national sales manager for Chrysal USA. Join us as we hear all about Dennis's journey from the nursery to navigating the interview processes of the flower industry. With 30 years of experience in post-harvest sales, Dennis s...

Send us Fan Mail Step right up, Ladies and Gentlemen! You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers . True to our catchphrase, we deliver the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. We kick things off with the exciting news that Connor Black, son #5, has officially joined the Jet Fresh Family. We welcome Connor onto the podcast, and with just a few days under his belt in the Cash &...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's special episode of #2FatGuysTalkingFlowers we sit down with Kim Williams and Ralph Giordano, AIFD, CFD, FSMD, FPCF, CEJ of Giordano's Floral Creations in For Pierce, FL.  In this fun episode, we review all the excitement and action from July's 2024 AIFD Symposium "Emerge" in Orlando (of which Ralph is the treasurer and part of the "Core...

Send us Fan Mail Grab your pens and paper, ladies and gentlemen, because this insightful episode of "2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers" is one you don’t want to miss! Join the Fatty team as we speak with Dr. Charlie Hall and SAF’s Amanda Jedlinskey for a preview of next month's educational session at the SAF Convention. Dr. Hall shares his expertise on the current economic landscape and th...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for an inspiring and entertaining episode of #2FatGuysTalkingFlowers where Fern, Mike, and the gang glimpse into the magical mind of FLWR PSTL!     FLWR PSTL, the mad scientist and creative mind behind Haus of Stems a botanical art studio based in Los Angeles, CA.  Home of the original iridescent anthurium and the all-new iridescent cymbidium "Zorchids!" Listen...

Send us Fan Mail In this groovy episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers, Mike, Fern and the gang are joined by Stephanie and Madison Johnson of Posie's Flower Truck.  Listen in as we find out why and how Stephanie stepped away from 2 successful Marketing and IT companies and into a vintage VW Bus full of flowers. Fast forward a few years and now it's a family business with her daughter and...

Send us Fan Mail All about AIFD with Lori Novak, AIFD. Welcome to another episode of Fat Guys Talking Flowers ! This week, we chat with Lori Novak about everything AIFD. With the Symposium just weeks away and registration closing soon, we provide a sneak peek into the industry's biggest design show. Lori, a true AIFD superstar, has attended every Symposium since the late '80s. The AIFD®...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for a patriotic and fun episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers! We're thrilled to welcome the podcast's official #1 Fangirl, Tracy Parke from House of Flora Flower Market. Tracy, a proud 4th generation florist, shares her family’s floral history and her heartwarming journey of discovering our podcast. Her discovery led her to last year’s challenge for Memorial D...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we’re thrilled to have Marco Groot, CEO of Hilverda de Boer USA, join us for a fun episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers. Marco shares all about Hilverda de Boer, a floral powerhouse with over 100 years of history, renowned worldwide as one of the Netherlands' largest exporters of cut flowers. Listen to Marco’s floral journey which began in the Netherlands, where h...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a monumental episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers ! Today, we have the honor of hosting all the Armellini siblings together, providing a unique glimpse into the history and future of their family business. Join us as we sit down with the five siblings, originally from New Jersey, who share heartwarming and hilarious stories from their childhood—rubber band pranks and b...

Send us Fan Mail This week on 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers, we are thrilled to be joined by Arnold Wittkamp of Thursd.com. Arnold shares his floral story, taking us on a journey down memory lane through Amsterdam. Initially aiming to follow a traditional educational route to satisfy his parents, Arnold soon found his true calling in the floral world. Combining his experience in flowers and business,...

Send us Fan Mail MALIMA® is a leading fresh-cut flower grower and exporter in the south Andes of Cuenca, Ecuador, proudly serving customers around the world since 1990 with premium quality flowers, most notably Gypsophila!  In this fresh episode of #2FatGuysTalkingFlowers Mike, Fern, and the gang get into the good, the bad, and the ugly of gyp growing with David Martinez, Commercial Manager, and M...