{"id":4601,"date":"2013-06-16T23:48:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-16T23:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upshoothort.com\/?p=4601"},"modified":"2013-06-16T23:48:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-16T23:48:00","slug":"learning-from-being-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upshoothort.com\/learning-from-being-different\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning from Being Different"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t<\n\"Cedarview<\/a> John Saraphis, owner of Cedarview Farm Nursery, offers his customers products they can\u2019t get anywhere else.[\/caption]<\/p>\n

Being different from all the other kids doesn\u2019t work in middle school, but most adults don\u2019t have a problem with standing out, like John Saraphis, owner of Cedarview Farm Nursery<\/a> in North Carolina. He and his wife, Rea, researched the industry to learn how they could be different from the others.<\/p>\n

They struck on 2-qt. liners. \u201cWe trademarked Faster Finish Liners,\u201d says John. \u201cAs far as we know, we are the only growers of that size. We have seen a great demand for liners that can go directly to the field for lining out \u2026 and can finish in a shorter time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1981, John was a propagator of rooted cuttings. In two years, the focus of his business shifted toward landscaping and maintenance. When that business was sold in 2001, John continued to landscape until 2004 when he built their house, workshop and barn. Cedarview Farm Nursery, named for the 20- to 30-ft. cedars along their property, had its start in 2007.<\/p>\n

John and Rea live and grow on 16 acres. Two and a half acres are in production: 6,000 sq. ft. for heated propagation, with 36,000 sq. ft. of gravel-covered beds and 12,000 sq. ft. of cold frames, which John plans to increase.<\/p>\n

The first year they put in 35,000 plants and sold 20,000. It was a learning experience, John says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water, the fertilizer\u2014we did the fine-tuning\u2014we changed the fertilizer and soil mixes,\u201d he adds. The second year they grew 45,000 plants and sold 30,000; the third year 79,000 to 80,000 were grown and every plant sold.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market has picked up in the last [few] years,\u201d says John. Recently, they grew 120,000 to 150,000 liners. \u201cWe could have sold 200,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

John and Rea propagate and grow approximately 180 varieties of woody ornamentals, primarily flowering shrubs. As a wholesaler, John retained many of his clients from his landscaping and maintenance days. At a recent trade show in Baltimore, John picked up more clients. He says, \u201cBeing seen at shows regularly, people see an advantage to the size of the pot. No one grows a full 2-qt. pot and that was intentional on our end.\u201d Recently, Cedarview Farm Nursery became a licensed grower for LCN Selections<\/a>, which adds 22 varieties to the 180 already grown by John and Rea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stem, North Carolina, is approximately 35 miles from Raleigh. \u201cWe are geographically located in a good spot. We have one truck that I drive. In one week I was in West Virginia; Wilmington, North Carolina; Maryland and Virginia,\u201d says John. \u201cOur focus is to keep our existing customers by providing a great product and outstanding customer service, while growing our customer base in a manageable way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cedarview customers are nurseries, landscape companies and garden centers on the east coast from Connecticut to Florida. \u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot from the landscape experience\u2014to meet the customers\u2019 expectations, from the office to the appearance of the crew,\u201d says John. \u201cWe want our customers to gain the following benefits from using our plants: to quickly grow a finished plant, to enhance their cash flow by a faster turnover of plant material, to save money on fertilizer and chemicals, and to eliminate or reduce the space and labor required for in-house liner production.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhen I go to other nurseries or garden centers, I see how they [run their businesses] and I plan how I want to [run our business],\u201d says John. Three items on his wish list: \u201cI\u2019d like a mechanical potting machine and I\u2019d like to mix my own soil,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd we\u2019re pretty sure that we can hire a driver next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tips from John:<\/p>\n