*

Freeze-drieds offer florists fresh alternatives

You've heard of

freeze-dried

coffee, freeze-dried fruit and

even freeze-

dried animals,but freeze-dried

flowers? The

frozen beauties

are the latest

floral product tocome on the

market.

by Jean Adamczak

Cold temperatures are a retail florist's worst enemy. Airthat feels cool and refreshingto humans can be the kiss of

death for some fresh flowers.

Yet, even as you read thesewords, flowers are deliberatelybeing frozen and preservedwith amazing results.

Freeze-drying is the latesttechnology in preserving flowers. Many flower varietiescome through the freeze-drying process extremelywell, looking as healthy asthey did at harvest, yet able tolast much longer than anyfresh flower. Freeze-drieds

provide florists with fresh alternatives to offer customers

and new opportunities to increase profits.

Museum piecesLeading the way in freeze-

drying technology is North-star, Nisswa, Minn. SteveSchuett, Northstar specialprojects director, claims thecompany pioneered and en-

SEPTEMBER 1990

gineered the floral freezedryer, introducing and marketing the concept in the fall of1987. Since then, the company has made and sold 115cryogenic machines for use inthe floral industry. The biggestadvantage freeze-dried flowers have over other floral

product is their look, Schuettnoted.

"Properly done, a freeze-dried flower will have the

same shape and color as itdid when it was fresh," hesaid. "Because the flower'scells don't collapse when being freeze-dried, the bloomwon't shrivel or shrink as itmay during some other dryingor preserving processes. Theresult is a long-lasting flowerthat looks very similar to afresh flower."

Flowers aren't the onlyproducts being freeze-dried inNorthstar's machines. In fact,company founder RogerSaatzer first developed afreeze-drying unit for a tax

idermist who was workingwith the Smithsonian Institu

tion on new methods of preserving zoological specimens.The machine worked so well

that many were sold to museums and universities for usein taxidermy and preparing di-oramic exhibits. Today, in addition to taxidermy, freezedryers are used to salvagewater-damaged antiques,books and other items; anything damaged by moisture orwater. Eventually, though,Saatzer turned his attention topreserving flowers.

"Freeze-drying is an expensive drying method, butit's the best, so even in theearly '80s we were experimenting and running loads offlowers in machines," Schuettacknowledged. "Over thenext couple of years, we heardfrom some entrepreneurswho bought the machine andexperimented with dryingflowers in it and we came to

the realization that the ma

chine needed to be adaptedfor higher moisture removal.Products like flowers have a

much higher moisture levelthan small animals, so weadapted the machine to accommodate that high-moisture content."

The result is a seven- to 12-

day process (depending uponthe flowers' moisture content)during which the blooms reston shelves in a copper-and-steel cylindrical chamber thatlooks similar to an iron lung.Available in small, mediumand large sizes, these portable, tube-shaped machinescan process anywhere from800 blooms in the smallest

machine to 9,000 stems in thelargest, Schuett reported. Themachine's flower capacity depends on the size and shapeof the blooms, he added.

Before placement in thefreeze dryer, flowers may bepretreated with chemicalpreservatives designed tostabilize them during the

59

process, helping to retain theircolor and appearance. Theflowers are then placed onwire mesh racks in the cylinder or suspended within themachine, depending on thedesired look. When all theflowers are in place, the see-through Plexiglas door isclosed and locked, creatingan airtight chamber.

At the flick of a switch, theairinsidethe chamber beginsto cool. Freeze-drying preserves bysublimation, usingcold and vacuum to changemoisture from a solid state, inthe form of ice crystals, to agaseous state without passing through a liquid state. Thisrequires temperatures ofabout minus30 degrees F. According to Schuett, this process results in a remarkableretention ofthe bloom's original shape and appearance.

"Since the flower is frozenwhile being dehydrated, itdoesn't change shape, thereis no wilting," Schuett pointed out."Freeze-drying allowsthe water to be quickly andeasily removed from the flower's cells without the cells collapsing or being damaged.When all the water has beenextracted, only the solidmaterials remain."

Frozen in timeImagine a machine that can

freeze a memory:a girl's firstcorsage, a bride's weddingbouquet or a prize-winningfloral design. Sandy White,owner, Flowers by Sandy,Memphis, Tenn., bought sucha machine two years ago. Sofar, the freeze-dried flowersare a hit with customers.

"Customers love thefreeze-dried flowers," MelJohnson, a designer at Flowers by Sandy, related. "We doa lotof preserving of wedding

60

bouquets and funeral flowers;that makes up the majority ofour freeze-dried work. Peoplebring in roses, carnations,whatever flowers were used ina funeral service that theywant preserved. Brides bringin their bouquets for us toprocess and we've even doneentire wedding parties wherewe preserve the bride's bouquet, all the attendants' flowers and the wedding centerpieces.

"We also do some customwork like moss-coveredbaskets filled with freeze-dried flowers or topiaries using freeze-drieds, but on aneveryday basis we don't sellarrangements made entirelyout of freeze-dried flowers because they tend to be verycostly," Johnson continued."A good-sized freeze-driedflowerarrangement could runanywhere from $250 to $500and you have to have a special clientele to really marketthat type of product. What wetend to do is mix freeze-driedswith other types ofdried product in arrangements. Thathelps keep the prices down somore of our customers can afford them."

Affordability is one of thethings florists should considerbefore entering the freeze-dried production market,Johnson said.

"We purchased the medium-sized machine fromNorthstar and itcost $23,000,"he said. "Add to that electricity costs (all of Northstar'smachines run on a 220-voltcurrent) with maintenancecosts and labor and you endup with a lot of expenses thatyou have to make up for insales."

To recoup his original investment, White charges approximately $7.50 for a freeze-dried rose, Johnson said. He

charges about $100 to preserve bridal bouquets andaround $50 for an attendant'sbouquet, according to Johnson. No matter the price, customers seem willingto pay forpreserved product, he said.

"I think there's definitely amarket for freeze-dried flowers, especially for us, becauseI thinkwe're the only shop inthe mid-South that has a machine," Johnson pointed out."We even receive bouquetsfrom out-of-town brides whowant us to preserve their flowers. We've done so well withthe machine that we haven'teven promoted it or ourpreservation service yet.We're basically keeping themachine loaded just by word-of-mouth."

Massive quantitiesPaul Geer wanted an edge,

a piece of the marketing piethat no one else had. Hefound that advantage withfreeze-dried flowers.

"I had been into flowersfrom the growing aspect andwent into selling flowers atarts-and-crafts shows," Geerexplained. "I saw somefreeze-dried product that had

been dried experimentallyand I liked the way it looked.Igot into that end of the business thinking I could sell allthese freeze-dried flowersand buy dozens and dozensof flowers to preserve, but itdidn't quite work out thatway."

Instead, Geer owns andoperates Frozen Creek Florals in Belmont, Mich. Hisgrowing company has two divisions: one concerned withselling premade freeze-driedarrangements at arts-and-crafts shows, industry tradeshows and luxury homeshows; the other is wholesale,providing mass quantities offreeze-dried product to retailflorists, other wholesalers andarts-and-crafts boutiques a-cross the country. So far,freeze-dried flowers havebeen very good to him, Geersaid.

"Producing freeze-driedshas given me markets, likethearts-and-crafts market and thehome market, that I go intowith permanent arrangements," he related. "Theedge it's given me is that Ihave something unique andthat, in essence, is actuallydoing financially better than I

FLORIST

had anticipated, even for thewholesale direct market."

As of August, Geer had twoof Northstar's medium-sizemachines, each turning outapproximately 5,000 stems offreeze-dried product a month.Roses, irises and daffodils arethe best freeze-dry candidates and the most popularwith wholesalers, he said.

"Roses preserve reallywell, especially in the pastelcolors," he said. "They lookso realistic and go well withjust about any decor now.They also fit in well with theVictorian baskets I make forthe arts-and-crafts shows."

The nine-inch Victorian

baskets usually contain roses,daffodils, irises, peonies andother freeze-dried product.They sell for about $50 each,he said, while roses are soldto wholesalers for $18-$24 adozen, depending upon thevolume purchased.

"I command a good pricefor my product," Geer admitted, "but I pride myself onquality of product. If Idon't likethe way a flower turns out, it'llend up in potpourri. The bottom line is it's my name on thebusiness card and Iwant people to think I do good work."

Topromote his freeze-driedproduct, Geer hits the road,traveling to industry tradeshows and conventions,home shows and arts-and-crafts shows. Between he andhis fiancee, 40 weekends ayear are spent traveling topromote freeze-drieds. Yetthere's always more ground tobe covered.

"I see what I'm coveringand sometimes Iwish I coulddo a better job and cover less,but I've taken a scatter-gunapproach in trying to pull customers in from the largestareas," Geer said. "I'm finding that just the wedding work

SEPTEMBER 1990

11Properly done, a freeze-driedflower will have the same

shape and color as it didwhen it was fresh."

—Steve Schuett,- Northstar

alone could tie up two machine loads a month.

"We're building our wedding bouquets by doing massfreeze-drying and then assembling the bouquets fromthat product as opposed totaking fresh bouquets andrunning them through thefreeze-dryer," Geer continued. "Because of the sub

tle color changes that occur

for florists to position themselves, it can also be a costly,time-consuming one. Knowing the machine inside andout is a must for successfu

operation, Schuett notedNorthstar educates new own

ers and any interested employes by sending a technician along when the machineis delivered.

"An important part of

Northstar, Nisswa, Minn., claims Its floral freeze-dryer producespreserved flowers with the shape and color of fresh.during the freeze-drying process, we want people to beaware that flower colors goinginto the machine do not always come out looking thesame. The greens are a littlemore fragile, the reds may notbe as red as before, things likethat. Iwant every customer tobe satisfied with the freeze-dried product purchased fromme."

Learning the ropesWhile the freeze-dried mar

ket can be a profitable place

freeze-drying is having a technician come right to your business, install the machine andexplain how itworks," he said."There are levers and dialsand gauges that many peoplewho aren't technically minded are afraid of."

In addition to its technicalaspects, the sheer size of afreeze-drying machine can beintimidating. Northstar's best-selling model is its medium-sized machine which has aself-contained refrigerationsystem and approximately 40cubic feet of freeze-drying ca

pacity. The bright-blue cylindrical machine is about 6 feetlong, 6 feet high and weighs1,800 pounds. Wheels enablethe machine to be rolled into

place. The levers and dialsSchuett referred to are locat

ed at the machine's frontwhere they can be easilyviewed and monitored.

"It's not a difficult machine

to understand, but once youturn on the vacuum you don'tjust leave italone fora week,"Schuett said. "You have to

monitor the temperature, adjusting and raising it tothoroughly dry the product. Inone of our models the oil mustbe changed every two or threeweeks. In all models the small

cylinder that gathers moisturewhile running at minus 60 tominus 70 degrees F. must bedefrosted occasionally. So it'snot totally maintenance-free.Most of the florists who have

the machine usually appointone person to work with it."

At Flowers by Sandy, thatperson is Johnson, whothoroughly enjoys workingwith the freeze-dryer.

"I find it real interesting,"Johnson said. "It really is onthe cutting edge of technology because the machineshave just been introduced tothe floral industry within thelast couple ofyears. We're trying new varieties of flowers inthe freeze-dryer all the time."

Geer also experiments withdifferent product in his freezedryers, but said he prettymuch has the process downto a science now.

"I know how long itwill takeme to preserve a mass of3,000 open roses so they'rerelatively uniform in shape,"he said. "It all comes from experience. I can tell just bylooking at the vacuum and thetemperature just how faralong a load is and how long

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it'll be before the process isthrough. Basically, what driesthe best for me are roses,irises and daffodils, but that'sjust been my experience."

According to Schuett, results vary with each machineand depend upon such factors as atmospheric pressureand sea level.

"It's really hard for me togive people one manualwhich tells how to freeze-dryeach particular variety of flower because of all the variablesinvolved," he explained."People usually dry all typesof product and settle on whatworks best for them in their

machine and in their market.

"This is not a foolproof orguaranteed franchise," Schuett cautioned. "One of the biggest variables with freeze-drying is the ability to marketand sell the product. Peoplecan freeze-dry beautiful flowers but they can go out ofbusiness if they don't knowhow to get the visibility andpromotions to sell them."

Educating consumers andeven those in the floral industry about freeze-drieds isoften necessary, Geer noted.

"The best promotion I cando is take finished product outto different events and show

its different applications," hesaid. "Even with the greatdesigners out there, noteverybody looks at a dozenroses lying in a box next to asign that says'Freeze- Dried'and says, 'Hey, what I coulddo with those flowers!' Wheth

er you're using long stems orjust heads, freeze-drieds havedifferent applications.

"There used to be a lot ofresistance from florists who

were against having flowerson the market that didn't needto be replaced every week.But once they realized theproduct's market potential,

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the product's beauty and thefact that they could tap into thefreeze-dried market, theyrelented a bit. There's a tre

mendous market out there for

this product that florists cantake advantage of."

Schuett also noted thatmany florists felt the freeze-dryer's high price tag wascost-prohibitive.

"Most florists wouldn'tdream of spending $23,000on a machine, which is whatour medium-size model costs,"he said. "But they need tolook at it as a business opportunity, not as a craft tool, hobby or toy. It's a business tool.It's not a liability for a florist,it's a promotional opportunity, a moneymaker. Handledproperly, freeze-drying couldalmost be a business in

itself."

Whether a florist chooses to

invest in a freeze-dryer or simply purchase freeze-driedproduct from suppliers, onething is certain: Freeze-driedproduct is here to stay and,according to Schuett, themarket is just beginning togrow.

"We haven't scratched the

tiniest surface in the floral in

dustry," he said. "My numbers tell me there are up to80,000 retailers, wholesalersand growers out there. Whenyou add all the craftspeopleand boutique owners, thatputs our potential customersat well over 100,000. Freeze-drying is an amazing conceptand a product that will bearound for years to come."

(For more information onfreeze-dryers, contact Schuettat Northstar, P.O. Box 409,Highway #371 N., Nisswa,Minn. 56401, (800) 551-3223or(218)963-2900. Forinformation on freeze-dried flower suppliers in your area, contactyour wholesalers.) •

Tips on marketingfreeze-dried flowers

Part of successfully marketing freeze-dried flowers depends on educating consumers about them and promoting them. Steve Schuett, special projects director atNorthstar, a freeze-dryer manufacturer and distributorin Nisswa. Minn., offered the following marketing tips fornewcomers to the freeze-dried field:

• W EDDING BOUQUETS:Promote the preservation of wedding bouquets and

flowers by distributing brochures or fliers to customersduring wedding consultations. Work in tandem with bridal salons and formal wear shops, distributing brochuresto their customers. Be sure your business card and pricelist are included in the brochure.

• SENTIMEN1AL KEEPSAKES:Special arrangements, bouquets and/or corsages from

anniversaries, funerals, graduations, births, confirmations, engagements, reunions, birthdays and other occasions can be preserved and placed under glass domesor in shadow boxes, making them everlasting.

• COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS:Create seasonal arrangements that can be replaced

every few months to provide businesses with a fresh look.

• WHOLESALING AND DISTRIBUTING:Process large quantities of flowers to sell to other florists

in your area who don't have freeze-dryers. On a largerscale, process mass quantities of product for sale towholesalers, making sure you have the necessary timeand resources.

• INDIVIDUAL FLOWERS:Offer customers freeze-dried flowers by the stem or let

them create their own bouquet using freeze-dried stems.Add freeze-dried stems to other dried product arrangements to create higher price-points. Freeze-drieds alsowork well in wreaths, garlands, swags and topiaries.

• POTPOURRI:When a freeze-dried flower doesn't meet your high-

quality standards, don't throw it out, use it in potpourri.Sell bags of freeze-dried potpourri, enhancing the scentwith fragrance oils.

• RECYCLE:Fully opened flowers that don't sell in the cooler can

be freeze-dried and preserved in full bloom. Did you overbuy for Easter this year? Don't worry. Freeze-dry the surplus and turn excess products into profits.

• CUSTOM SERVICE:Offer to create custom-made arrangements to help

businesses celebrate grand openings, special sales, openhouses, bridal shows, etc.

• CONSIGNMENT: Create arrangements to beleased to other businesses like gift shops, jewelry stores,bridal salons and formal wear shops which may use thedesigns in window or in-shop displays. Make sure yourshop gets credit for creating the arrangements.

• NEWSPAPERS: Promote the arrival of your freeze-dryer by letting your local newspaper know you're getting a new, high-tech piece of equipment.

• RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:Experiment by running new and different flower varie

ties through the machine. You never knowwhat's goingto work. -J.A.

FLORIST