By Vanessa Orr
For almost 100 years, Stephanie Frohock’s family has been heavily involved in agriculture in the Homestead area of South Florida, so when the state legalized the cultivation and sale of medicinal cannabis, it only seemed fitting that they get involved in this burgeoning industry. And while it took more than six years to get a license and establish The Flowery, they are passionate about being involved in providing products that help people.
“My dad and brothers run a very large nursery business that provides a wide variety of products, from small plants to gigantic palm trees, to markets across the state,” said Frohock, who serves as The Flowery’s vice-president of marketing and sales. “This experience means that we’re able to do things that other growers are not that help with the end product.
“But what really sets us apart is our drive,” she added. “I have three brothers, and my youngest brother was in the military and did two tours in Iraq. He had severe PTSD, and we saw first-hand how medical marijuana had a positive impact on him, and on other soldiers. Though he passed away three years ago, he was the family member fighting the most for us to get a license, so we do this for him.”
Frohock’s family joined others in a suit against the state, and is now the only family-run company holding a license that farms the product themselves. “Growing the best flower possible is at the core of our company; it’s who we are,” said Frohock. “The better the flower, the better it is for the patient.”
The Flowery’s product is grown 100 percent indoors, and takes advantage of another family member’s ingenuity to keep its plants healthy.
“My uncle has a patent on a product he created, which, in layman’s terms, is basically an air purifier,” explained Frohock. “It eliminates the possibility of any mold.”
“Having so much agricultural knowledge, and using the tools that we brought over from the ‘normal’ growing community has really helped us create a premium end product,” she added. “The fact that our master grower has cannabis experience and our team has cultivation experience is a big added bonus.”
While the company has chosen to focus on the flower, they do plan to expand into other areas, such as concentrates, in the future.
“We saw an opportunity in that the quality of flowers in Florida versus other states is very different,” explained Frohock. “Patients kept asking for more flowers and better flowers, and as a small company without the huge backing of a larger company, we get to pick and choose where we want to focus.
“Since it was patients’ #1 request, we started there,” she added. “We don’t want to overcommit and under deliver—everything we’re doing, we’re doing thoughtfully and with a plan.”
The Flowery currently delivers to Monroe and Miami-Dade counties, but expects to open its first dispensary next year. It has also built relationships with doctors’ offices to create pick-up locations across the state, and is staying in close touch with customers to make sure that they are meeting their needs.
“Since we are such a small company, I manage the live chat on our website, so I’m in very close communication with the people who purchase our product,” said Frohock. “We get a lot of positive comments about us being the local guy, but we also get some negative comments from people who don’t believe we are family-owned, because no one else is doing that.”
To learn more about The Flowery, visit www.theflowery.co. You can also sign up on their website to receive notifications of pick-ups in specific counties.
