Today we’d like to introduce you to Autumn Endress.
Hi Autumn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Our flower farm started on a cold, sleepless, winter night in 2022. We had been in our home for about 6 months and I was worn out from all the renovations we had been making throughout the Summer. By winter, we had moved all our renovations inside and I just couldn’t fall asleep. I opened Instagram and saw a woman talking about flowers – not just any flowers though, dahlias. They were absolutely gorgeous, came in a multitude of colors and shapes, and I found myself researching them throughout the night as I fell into an Instagram dark hole of flowers. By morning, I confidently woke up and told myself, my husband, and anyone that would listen that I was going to start a flower farm the next season. We’ve been in business for four years now and have expanded every year to meet demand. Currently, we are on our third field expansion and our second dahlia field expansion. We host events of all varieties, create stunning wedding florals, and grow a vast array of flowers. We’ve enjoyed every moment of living in the flowers!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Most certainly not. There is no such thing as a smooth road with any type of farming. Flowers are no different. They are exceptionally weather dependent and the weather in Michigan has been sporadic, to say the least. We control what we can, but it can definitely be hard. Outside of weather, we battle insects, deer, and other critters, are always trying to add more, but still be realistic. It can be so hard! It’s also important to note that we do not use pesticides to control for any insects and that can be especially challenging. I never, in a million years, thought I’d be outside placing Japanese beetles into soapy jars to keep them at bay…but, here we are! We do everything we can to be good stewards of the land and try and manage as much as we can sustainably.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Endress Acres, is a local, seasonal flower farm. We specialize in blooms from Spring-first Frost are are widely known for our presence at the Farmer’s Market, Wedding Florals, and our Flower Subscription service. I think what truly sets us apart from others is the experience we always put out into the world. We are SO focused on ensuring everyone has an exceptional experience with us and I’m personally always willing to go out of the way to ensure we always make something right. Outside of the experiences, we are also one of very few flower farms that has blooms from early Spring – first frost. We focus on seasonality, but ensure we can produce flowers earlier than a lot of other farms and beyond a lot of other farms.
How do you define success?
Personally, I define success by how happy I am being in the flowers. If I wasn’t happy spending my mornings and evenings in our flower fields, I wouldn’t want to keep farming. Success for me has always been tied to my personal emotion of happiness. If I’m not happy, I’m not successful. I also define success by how happy my customers are – and we have a lot of happy customers that come back year after year!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.endressacres.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endressacres/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100094981403327/photos/
