Owner, Bee Well Blooms Flower Farm
Sarah Anderson is the founder and owner of Bee Well Blooms, a sustainable and chemical-free cut flower farm located in Lehigh Valley. The one-acre farm focuses on growing unique, seasonal blooms to help naturally beautify people’s lives with fresh cut, local flowers.
Sarah grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in a family with a rich agricultural history. She took an interest in organic farming as a teenager and went on to study horticulture at Penn State University, aiming to turn her curiosity into a career. The original plan involved farming organic fruits and vegetables, but during a flower-identification course taken as a credit requirement she discovered her true passion – flowers.
After graduation, she practiced growing cut flowers for two seasons and in 2018 took the leap and decided to grow flowers full-time, launching Bee Well Blooms. She moved to Lehigh Valley to pursue her career as a flower farmer, enrolling in The Seed Farm’s Agricultural Business Incubator program. The program was created to meet the needs of new farmers by providing training and access to land, equipment and capital. Since then, Bee Well Blooms graduated from the Seed Farm and now sits on its own farm just outside of Emmaus, where you’ll find a roadside stand open for sales this summer.
“Most traditional flowers are produced overseas using lots of chemicals and are then shipped to the US. By the time the customer takes them home they could be a few weeks old. Locally grown flowers last longer and are more unique than those in the grocery store or conventional flower markets. By buying local you’re also supporting a small farm business.”
Bee Well Blooms
Bee Well Blooms grows about 50 different flower varieties for sale at local farmers’ markets, through a community supported agriculture (CSA) model, and as custom bouquets and arrangements for special events. Sarah has a stand at the Lansdale Farmers Market and they’ll be joining the Emmaus Farmers Market in the Spring of 2020.
“People are usually surprised to learn that I grow all the flowers we sell. Many customers ask where we source the flowers and who arranges them for the market. Every single flower we sell starts as a tiny seed in the greenhouse and is planted, harvested, conditioned, and arranged by me.”
Sarah’s farm is just one of the many farms in the region. Agricultural land (for crops, pastures, orchards, tree farms and vineyards) covers roughly 22% of the Lehigh Valley’s 726 square miles (LVPC data). Many restaurants and markets embrace the farm-to-table movement and source ingredients locally.
Live like a local
Favorite local restaurant: Switchback Pizza in Emmaus or Cali Burrito in Allentown. So good.
Favorite season in Lehigh Valley: Definitely spring. Obviously the flowers are great but I love watching the days get a little longer and listening to the birds in the morning.
A fun fact about you: I love antiquing. I could spend an entire day sifting through and admiring “old stuff.”