Meet Jessica Alpers | Flower Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Alpers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After growing up on an apple farm in West Michigan, I moved to Northern Michigan for work and fell in love with a cherry farmer—the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Orchard Breeze Flower Farm was born from the strong desire (and need) to use my creative energy.

I have always enjoyed getting my hands dirty, but also enjoy designing and creating. In 2016, I left my career in order to raise our family and help with the family tree fruit farming business. Years later, I was left with a shell of my former self, longing for a creative outlet and something to call my own. I have always dreamt of having a yard filled with flowers for my own enjoyment, I realized I could make a business out of my personal love of flowers. With strong support and encouragement, I excitedly threw myself into learning everything I could about commercially growing cut flowers. Armed with a history of cultivating the land, a dash of optimism, and fresh knowledge gleaned from courses and books, I am pleased to have found my calling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
After graduating with a degree in Natural Resources Management, I began assisting farmers in implementing environmentally friendly best management practices on their operations. I worked with farmers across numerous commodities and methods of growing, allowing me to glean practices to one day implement on my own operation. Having grown up on a 6th generation tree fruit farm, I learned from an early age the value of hard work and respecting the land. As the current caretaker of this little piece of Michigan, I take immense pride in taking steps to ensure I leave the land better than when I found it, while growing crops with supreme quality.

Growing crops, it’s important to not grow what I want, but what the consumer wants. I spend a lot of time researching the fresh cut flower market, anticipating popular wedding trends and what retail consumers are looking for when they are buying flowers. Growing flowers in a very popular destination wedding area has naturally molded my business to growing what the wedding market demands. Building relationships with local floral designers has been an important part of my business, allowing me to grow premium cuts for event work.

When consumers purchase my flowers, they are investing in the future of agriculture. I pour my heart and soul into each crop I grow, with the end goal of bringing joy to those who experience my flowers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I feel incredibly fortunate to call the Grand Traverse Region home. I constantly remind my children they live somewhere special; somewhere people visit frequently to marvel in our region’s beauty. This area is perfect for the outdoor lover, with an endless array of adventures, no matter the time of year.

While most tend to visit in the warmer months, I think the winter activities are just as numerous and fun. With miles of groomed trails for cross country skiing and skate skiing, I love spending time on the numerous trail systems managed by TART Trails. From the Leelanau Trail, I am able to connect to local wineries and great spots to grab a bite to eat. The VASA is an incredible trail system, with access from Timber Ridge Resort. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is beyond special as it gives a non-motorized way to enjoy the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. When seeking speed and thrills on skis, we love to spend time at The Homestead in Glen Arbor. Both of our kids learned to ski there and we love the views!

In addition to skiing, numerous wineries maintain snowshoeing, fat biking, hiking, and cross country skiing trails around their vineyards. Some of my favorites are Aurora Cellars, 45 North Vineyard & Winery, Shady Lane Cellars, and Black Star Farms. Many now offer igloos, the perfect spot to grab a glass of wine after a lovely cruise around the vineyard!

We are fortunate to have two robust land conservancies in the area: Leelanau Conservancy and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, both of which have protected vast swaths of land, creating pristine hiking trails in the region. Winter hiking is a favorite of mine–the pace slows and the views are breathtaking. I personally love Clay Cliffs in Leland, as it’s the perfect length for my little ones.

We are big fans of sledding, and the Dune Climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes can’t be beat! The Leland Lodge has a fun collection of sleds available to use on the seasonal sledding hill on the neighboring golf course–and then we can pop into Bogey’s 19th Hole for a burger and beer after a fun day on the hill.

After a long day of outdoor fun, I love to reserve an igloo at Hop Lot Brewing Co. & Beer Garden in Suttons Bay. They have the most dreamy beer garden full of igloos and fire pits, perfect for a crew to unwind after a fun day. After that, The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay always has a great movie running.

When the weather is too dismal to venture out, we head up to the Northport Pub & Grille to grab pizza while bowling, or go for a swim at the Northport Highlands.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Operating a farm is impossible without the support of those around me. After working a full day on our cherry and apple farm, my husband, Chris, is always there to help with my latest project in the field. Whether it’s hooking up the rototiller to expand the field, tweaking the irrigation, borrowing yet another piece of farm equipment, or lending his farming expertise, I could not operate Orchard Breeze Flower Farm without his help.

Website: https://www.orchardbreezeflowerfarm.com/

Instagram: @orchardbreezeflowerfarm

Facebook: Orchard Breeze Flower Farm