The Fresh Bunch

Send us Fan Mail Sweet ears of the podcast realm—this week on The Fresh Bunch, we’re casting with the incredibly talented Jessica Rauls, founder of Gather Flower Studio and curator of beautiful floral varieties. Full of giggles, stories, and floral stardom, this episode blooms from Jessica’s “florally viral” Powder Puff Rose reel that first connected her with Mike. Mimi had to challenge Powder Puf...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Fresh Bunch, we’re joined by Rebecca Merritt, Founder & CEO of Beyond Merritt Events. Rebecca’s firm delivers creative direction, strategy, interior design, branding, room planning, and extraordinary florals for corporate, agency, and private clients across the country. Ryan first met Rebecca at the Orchid Dinner at the New York Botanical Garden, where the two...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Fresh Bunch, we’re joined by the one and only Floral Wizard, David Kaplan of Above All Flowers. With decades of experience and a global network of growers, David truly has his finger on the pulse of the floral industry. David shares what’s happening across the world’s growing regions—from wrapping up the Catkins (pussywillow) season to the highly anticipated start...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Fresh Bunch, we welcome two very special guests — Valentina Armellini, the new Marketing Manager at Chrysal USA, and Kyle Armellini, Terminal Manager at Atlanta Armellini. The married couple shares the story of how they met and how they each navigate the unique challenges of today’s floral industry from two different sides of the business. From logistics and trans...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode of The Fresh Bunch , we’re joined by Paul and Tony Guerrie, cofounders of Flower Buddy. The two brothers share how they went from working in tech to building a business together in the floral industry. The conversation goes beyond flowers and into what it really looks like to start and grow something from the ground up—especially when you’re doing it with fa...

Send us Fan Mail This week, The Fresh Bunch hits the road for one of the most iconic events in horticulture—the Philadelphia Flower Show, “Rooted.” 2026 Joined by Freshie Christine Guenther of Wild Flower MD, Mike and Mimi share highlights from their unforgettable trip, diving into the creativity, passion, and stories behind the nation’s largest and longest-running indoor flower and garden show. W...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Fresh Bunch, we sit down with visual interdisciplinary artist Maurice Harris of Bloom & Plume. Maurice Harris is a Los Angeles–based artist. Recognized from his TV projects “Centerpiece” and “Full Bloom”on HBO Max, he pushes boundaries beyond his floral art.   His photography transports viewers through vibrant color and bold composition, while his popular soci...

Send us Fan Mail We've had a busy 2 weeks here at Jet Fresh. SAF's Next Gen Live in Raleigh, NC, the New York Botanical Garden's annual Orchid Dinner in NYC, Fleurs de Villes latest show unveiled in Miami, and the WFFSA (Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association) conference all fell within the same 2 weeks.  So the team divided and conquered to make sure each event was a...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Fresh Bunch, we’re Talking Tulips with the incredible team from Bloomia. With Ryan, Joel, and Casey away at SAF NEXT GEN, Mimi jumps on the 1’s & 2’s and does her best to keep the tech running, while Mike and Jimi the Tulip help deliver an episode packed with energy, insight, and big floral news. We’re joined by Werner Jansen;CEO of Bloomia and Bill Prescott,S...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fresh Bunch , we sit down with Adam Havrilla, Creative Director of Elite Flower; accredited member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD); Chairperson of Professional Floral Communicators – International(PFCI); and an Illinois Certified Floral Designer with more than 20 years of experience in professional floral artistry. Known for his original, ar...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Valentine’s Eve, Freshies ❤️ This week on The Fresh Bunch , News Anchor Mimi is back reporting live from Jet Fresh Cash & Carry, chatting with local Miami floral pros about the real story behind Valentine’s Day. We’re talking about how V-Day steals birthday thunder for florists, why burgundies and darker, moodier tones are dominating this year’s designs, and how to to wo...

Send us Fan Mail The Fresh Bunch is officially in full V-Day Countdown mode. The Freshies are gearing up for Valentine’s Day, and Mike introduces Fun & Fresh —a two-week, daily activity series created to ease the holiday stress and keep the energy high for customers and employees alike. Ryan, Joel, Jimi, and Mimi walk through the full schedule for both weeks, plus we hear directly from Fresh c...

Send us Fan Mail Snow Days & School Days: SAF Next Gen 2026 Edition This week on The Fresh Bunch , we’re talking all things winter and NEXT GEN with SAF President Lori Wheat, AAF, third-generation owner of Lafayette Florist in Colorado, and Eileen Weber, AAF, second-generation florist and co-owner of Lake Forest Flowers in Illinois—both speakers at the upcoming SAF Next Gen Conference in Ralei...

Send us Fan Mail  On this episode of The Fresh Bunch, we’re excited to welcome the incredible team from Choice Farms for a high-energy conversation centered around WFFSA and the future of the floral industry. We’re joined by Freddy Melero, Director of Sales and Procurement at Choice Farms and current President of WFFSA (Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association), who shares how stepping...

Send us Fan Mail WELCOME TO EPISODE 200 OF THE FRESH BUNCH PODCAST ! This is a massive milestone for us, and just like our 100th episode, we’re celebrating with a special video podcast you can finally watch on YouTube! Episode 200 is all about the rebrand, the listeners, and the incredible flower community that has supported The Fresh Bunch this year. This episode is dedicated to YOU — our Freshie...

Send us Fan Mail As we gear up for the release of our 200th episode (Releasing on Jan 15, 2026), we thought it would be fun to go back in time to 2024 and re-play our 100th celebration episode. A lot has changed in these past 100 episodes, and we're extremely grateful you're still listening. WE hope you enjoy this blast from the past, and look forward to sharing our 200th episode next we...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year, Freshies!!!  On this special 2026 New Year's episode of The Fresh Bunch, Jimi the Tulip, Mimi, and Ryan ring in the New Year with the help of a few of our favorite Freshies. Starting with Holly Haverman of Kennedy Flowers, on her 2nd year designing at the Rose Bowl Parade. Then we called in the big guns for some 2026 fresh perspective from Lori Wilson of the F...

Send us Fan Mail Merry Fresh-mas! 🎄 This week on the Fresh Bunch Podcast, we’re joined by the marvelous Jet Fresh Growers Marketing team—our very own Emilia Coloma and Diana Flores. Emi and Diana dive into what marketing looks like at the farm level, how it differs across industry segments and regions, and how each Jet Fresh marketing team member brings unique strengths to the table—from creative...

Send us Fan Mail While Mike is off playing Santa in Ecuador, the Fresh Bunch goes delightfully off the rails in this laugh-out-loud filler episode. From the biggest (and quirkiest) flower trends of 2025 to the words that defined the year, we recap the moments, events, and conversations that kept popping up all year long—yes, including how many times we somehow circled back to tariffs. We also dive...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Fresh Bunch , we dive into the remarkable journey of the Sassen family—whose story began on a small carnation farm in the Netherlands in the 1960s and blossomed into one of the world’s most renowned floral brands. Marc Sassen, destined to be a grower from childhood, reflects on working alongside his mother and siblings and how those early days shaped the fam...

Send us Fan Mail A Wrapped Episode This week, the Fresh Bunch sits down for our own year-end “Wrapped,” unboxing a full lineup of stories and highlights. We dive into all things Miami Art Week , reminisce about our own Artful Fresh Fest , and even rate the tradeshows that shaped our year. We also celebrate a huge milestone—our best Toys for Tots drive ever , filling 8 boxes (and counting!) . Cabin...

Send us Fan Mail This week, The Fresh Bunch brings you an episode overflowing with New York energy and floral heart as we welcome the one and only Robert Luebcke of J. Van Vliet NY . Robert shares how his uncle first pulled him into the floral world—and how a life-changing trip to Holland sealed his floral destiny. We dive into the legendary days of 28th Street , the bold decision to establish J....

Send us Fan Mail Extra, extra — Freshies HEAR all about it! We’ve got BIG news on the Fresh Bunch Podcast! Lane DeVries’ brand-new book, The Pursuit of Purpose , officially has a launch date.  On November 24th, the book is available on Amazon, and Lane sits down with the Fresh Bunch to spill everything . Lane shares how a visit from Mike, Casey, and Ryan sparked the idea for the book, and how—sinc...

Send us Fan Mail The Fresh Bunch is back and bringing the laughs — even though we are missing Mike! This week, we’re hanging out with Jordan Prosser of Salters Evergreen, the Alabama Smilax Specialist .  Jordan gives us the lowdown on Smilax, his Next Gen family roots in the industry, and promises (again) — no snakes in the boxes! Things get festive as we talk Christmas decorations, the Wedding MB...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Fresh Bunch Podcast, we’re going Texas-sized with a true industry legend — Joe Don Zetzsche of Rocking Bar Z. With a 35-year career leading the floral revolution at H-E-B, Joe helped transform everyday flower shopping into the beloved BLOOMS Flower Shops by H-E-B experience. He’s a top floral industry consultant, board member of That Flower Feeling, and a strategi...