Crystal Hedgpeth, floral sales manager for Safeway’s Northern California Division, had a problem. Year after year in surveys, customers gave the store low ratings for the availability of locally sourced items. And yet Hedgpeth knew Safeway was chock-full of local products, including the California Grown flowers that made up more than half of the flowers sold in the stores.
The thing is, her customers didn’t know.
Hedgpeth, a problem-solver with 24 years of experience in Safeway’s floral division, became a person on mission. She knew that 58 percent of customers prefer to buy locally grown flowers and that those flowers were right there in her stores. She also knew that Safeway was Northern California’s largest buyer of California Grown flowers.
What she needed was an attention-getting way to spread the word – and to support Safeway’s commitment to local farmers. And thus, the Blue Bucket Campaign was born.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: California Cut Flower Commission