When traditional retail supply chains paused in 2020, commercial floral growers had to quickly rethink their distribution methods. For Westerlay Orchids, based in Carpinteria, California, a sudden halt in large supermarket orders sparked an entirely new direct-to-consumer and business-to-business model. Producing over four million Phalaenopsis orchids annually, the third-generation family business launched ‘Box of Orchids’ to deliver farm-direct plants to independent florists, event planners, and individuals. In this Executive Q&A, Toine Overgaag, President of Westerlay Orchids, discusses the company’s pivot during the pandemic, their rigorous “flask to flower” cultivation process, and how their operation is ultimately about building human connections.
Q. What inspired Westerlay Orchids to launch Box of Orchids, and what gap did you see in the way florists, designers and event professionals were sourcing premium orchids?
Toine Overgaag: Box of Orchids (aka BOO) was launched in the early days of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. At that time our major customers (supermarkets) either dramatically cut back on orders or cancelled entirely. We were left with a couple hundred thousand orchids in bloom and no customers. We principally pivoted to donating orchids by the literal truckload to hospitals, assisted living facilities, and other organizations with front line staff and patients impacted by the pandemic (link to 100,000 orchid challenge) – https://www.westerlay.com/community. We also started offering for sale our standard 10 pack wholesale box over our website to anyone. Initially this caught on with individuals who wanted to get orchids to share and connect with family, friends, and neighbors they were otherwise isolated from. A really great lesson from this experience was that we learned that we aren’t in the orchid business but that we are in the connection business. Eventually we saw that the website was also getting traction with independent garden centers, florists, event planners, and other small businesses.
Q. You recommend that customers have their orchids delivered 10 to 14 days before an event. What happens during that window, and why is bud-stage shipping such an important part of the experience?
Toine Overgaag: For Box of Orchids, we have found that orchids ship best when buds are still tight. While we only deliver by ground freight to minimize jostling, fully open flowers are more susceptible to damage in shipping.
Q. Westerlay grows millions of orchids each year. How does a family-owned, farm-direct operation maintain the consistency and quality that professional florists and designers expect at that scale?
Toine Overgaag: We pride ourselves on our reliability. In order to ensure that reliability, we grow from ‘flask to flower’. By that I mean that we start our plants from laboratory starts (meristem) and control the production process all the way to the flowering stage (almost 1½ years). This, along with rigorous quality control throughout the production, means that we are providing that consistency and quality professionals demand.
Q. Orchids have become such a popular choice for weddings, events, interiors and gifting. What do you think makes Phalaenopsis orchids so enduring – and where are you seeing the most exciting uses for them right now?
Toine Overgaag: Orchids, especially phalaenopsis orchids, really took off about 20 years ago because I think they are the ultimate plant. They are not only beautiful and elegant but last months in flower and are within almost everyone’s budget.
Q. After three generations of greenhouse growing, what does expanding Westerlay’s reach through Box of Orchids mean to you personally?
Toine Overgaag: BOO is something I really believe in. It’s our way of being able to reach just about anyone with the service, quality, and competitive pricing we offer major wholesalers. We care about the end result that the customer has. That’s why we only ship by ground and recommend shipping early.
Q. Many people assume orchids are delicate or hard to maintain. How does proper orchid care dispel that myth, and why do these plants make ideal gifts for building lasting connections?
Toine Overgaag: A lot of times when people hear what I do, they tell me about an orchid that they have or an orchid they gave as a gift. And again, I see that I’m in the connection business. People often seem to have a relationship with an orchid that you don’t see with other plants or flowers. Even more often, when people hear what I do, they ask me who to take care of their orchid. And I always recommend 1. More Light and 2. Less frequent but more thorough watering. Orchids thrive in bright, indirect light like a living room or kitchen. You should not water more than once a week but when you do, really let the plant soak for an hour so those spongy roots can really get plump!
The trajectory of Westerlay Orchids demonstrates how large-scale growers can adapt to market changes by developing direct delivery models. By controlling the entire 18-month cultivation cycle and shipping plants at the optimal bud stage, the company provides independent professionals and consumers with consistent, reliable quality. Beyond the logistics of ground freight, the Box of Orchids program underlines the lasting appeal of Phalaenopsis orchids as tools for communication and relationship-building. Westerlay Orchids shows that even when scaling production to millions of plants per year, success relies on strict quality control and an understanding of the end customer’s experience.
To learn more, visit www.westerlay.com
