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Vendor Interview:
High-Quality Seed Favors, Victory Seeds
A few years ago, when I was researching plant preservation
and seed saving, I became acquainted with the Dunton
family farm and their company, Victory Seeds, in Molalla,
Oregon. Victory offers a nice selection of untreated,
open-pollinated & heirloom seeds for vegetables, flowers
and herbs, with no chemicals used or unstable
hybrids or genetically engineered varieties included.
When I discovered that Victory also offered seed favors
for weddings and special occasions, I was very excited.
Seeds are a versatile favor option which, chosen with
care, bring with them a wonderful sense of charm and
tradition. Unfortunately, the seed favors I had seen
previously included flower varieties which only grew in
limited regional areas and/or used seeds of questionable
source and quality.
Obviously, getting your seed favors directly from a
full-service, high-quality seed company is the perfect
solution. You have more options in seed variety, a clear
sense of seed quality, and knowledgeable staff to advise
you. And I am not the only one who feels this way.
Victory Seed favors were given out last year at the New
York Governor's Ball honoring Bette Midler, and have been
used for many other corporate and private events as well.
Since spring and summer weddings are the most popular and
practical time to include seed favors, I spent some time
recently discussing this issue with Mike Dunton of Victory
Seeds,
http://www.victoryseeds.com , and I hope that his
comments will give you some insight and ideas about this
interesting favor option.
*****
Sara Ambarian-- Mike, how did your company get started
doing seed favors?
Mike Dunton-- This "sideline" started out as a customer
request. As an heirloom seed company focusing on
preserving old varieties from extinction, any opportunity
of getting seeds into the hands of people and spreading
the gardening message is good in my book : )
Anyway, what started out as simply personalizing the back
labels of our seed packets for weddings (usually the bride
and groom names and the ceremony date) has become popular
for memorial services, birthdays, sales and marketing
tools for events large and small.
S.A.-- What seed varieties are the most popular with your
favor customers?
M.D.-- 'Forget-Me-Nots' are the number one favorite for
bridal showers, weddings and memorials. The wildflower
mixes are catching on, though.
S.A.-- In the past, you and I have discussed the problem
of giving out seeds which don't grow well in the
couple's/guests' region. Traditional Forget-Me-Nots are
not suited to my area, for example. I like the fact that
you can provide a wide variety of seed varieties, so a
client of mine in southern California could give out
California poppies or Gaillardia. But what if a couple
doesn't know what type of seed to choose, or has guests
coming from many different regions?
M.D.-- You're right, getting wildflower seeds for a cool,
moist climate does little good if they are to be planted
in an arid, hot location. Along with a good variety of
traditional and
non-traditional single flower seed options, we offer
regional wildflower mixes suited for nearly every climate
type in North America.
http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/flowers/flower_mixes.html
These have become more popular for ceremonies drawing
visitors from all over the country.
S.A.-- The regional mixes would certainly take a good deal
of the guess-work out of a couple's decision, and probably
increase the likelihood of at least a portion of the seeds
flourishing for each guest who plants them. I also think
that your Hummingbird & Butterfly Mix could be an
especially charming addition to a spring or summer
wedding--- especially since hummingbirds and butterflies
seem to be increasingly popular motifs for weddings and
decorating in general.
Can you tell me more about the specific packaging you
offer for favors? I have seen the pretty seed
packets with your logo and seed information on the front,
and the personalization on the back. I love the classic
old-fashioned look of these, both in the black and white
and in the color version.
M.D.-- Our customized packets are popular because they are
personalized, inexpensive, and make a statement. The
personalization is included in the price, and we work with
the customer to implement their designs where possible.
Another option is our small zip
lock bags of seed that creative people use in favors or
cards of their own designs. More
information about this option is listed at:
http://www.victoryseeds.com/weddings/wedding_bulk.html
S.A.-- I love the plain zip-lock bag option, because it is
very economical and I often prefer to personalize
everything myself.
M.D.-- I know exactly what you mean. I thought that
these would be more popular but I think that the world is
getting too busy and people just are looking for a
completed product.
We also sell seeds in small bags to a company called
Starfish Art (www.happyseeds.net)
and they provide another favor solution.
S.A.-- I have seen the Starfish Art favors over at
http://www.happyseeds.net . Pamela Breece's art is
very upbeat and fun-- certainly a great alternative for
couples who have a more casual, hip or contemporary style.
And knowing the source of the actual seeds
certainly makes this resource more appealing.
We've talked exclusively about flower seeds. I also
wondered about herbs or vegetable seeds. Do you ever do
those for favors? I can think of a number of situations
where a non-flower seed might be meaningful,
practical or fun.
M.D.-- Actually, we have supplied vegetable seed favors
for a child's birthday. People request herb seeds from
time to time but they are a bit higher in price. Flowers
are number one. Back to herbs, though, we once supplied
Echinacea seeds for the wedding of a woman who recently
had graduated as a Naturopathic Doctor.
S.A.-- That sounds like an appropriate favor! In
general, does the Victory Seeds staff have the time and
inclination to advise customers at all about seed
selections, if they need it?
M.D.-- Definitely the inclination! Time is an issue but
we work really hard to help our customers where we can.
Email is a powerful tool for this. We also try and
include as much information as possible on the Web site to
provide people with the tools necessary to answer their
questions.
S.A.-- Your website does have a really impressive amount
of information included, and the catalog is great as
well. I know it has answered most of my basic questions
about your products and services over the years.
In closing, Mike, do you have any additional advice or
comments for ForeverWed's readers? Like times of year when
you think typical flower seed favors are less appropriate?
Alternate suggestions, like herbs that could be grown
indoors in cold weather, etc.?
M.D.-- Since many weddings are in the spring and early
summer, just about anything is fine. Any other time of
the year, the seeds can easily be saved until an
appropriate time. I think that it is very cool to see
seeds incorporated into the wedding tradition. You're
right,
many herbs could be grown indoors. That is a good
alternative.
S.A.-- How far in advance do couples (or others) need to
place their order?
M.D.-- As far as timing, a couple of weeks is fine, but we
have been known to jump
through hoops for people with last minute emergencies.
Again, we try to remain flexible for our customers.
*****
For more information, check out Victory Seeds' information
and examples at
http://www.SeedFavors.com and
http://www.VictoryWeddings.com. |
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