A professional website, elegant and clean, has proven a valuable sales tool, for blooms and twigs both. Borrowing from his McCullough’s Landscape experience, which includes a lively blog and Pinterest presence boasting an extraordinary 3.5 million followers, Nick and his wife, Allison, were instrumental in spearheading Red Twig’s online presence. Allison is the marketing director for McCullough’s Landscaping, and designed Red Twig Farms’ website. Lindsey, Josh’s wife, maintains Red Twig Farms’ Facebook page, alerting “friends” to upcoming market appearances. Merging the modern art of social media with the ancient art of agriculture, Red Twig Farms has positioned itself as a contemporary grower. Equally important has been the tried-and-true practice of personal outreach. Placing peonies in hand, giving wholesale prospects free flowers, has proven a winning strategy. “Nothing speaks louder than product,” Josh observes. And Red Twig peonies are particularly eloquent. They’re still in discovery mode, Karl points out, establishing relationships, respecting pre-existing contracts, learning the wholesale buyer’s timeline. And even as the floral market globalizes, with blooms shipped to Ohio from far-off Holland, Karl underscores that “the local player has the advantage, since they don’t have the distribution costs.” That is, as long as the product is quality, and the price right. Check, check. With their premium peonies, horticultural expertise, and sophisticated processing, the McCulloughs are well-positioned to watch their market share grow. Red Twig also sells peonies retail, through the New Albany and Worthington farmers markets. Karl and Josh, farm operations manager and partner, man the stands from late May through mid-June, selling their exceptional blooms
directly to customers, with an enthusiasm that is “infectious.” And Columbus-area customers are quickly catching on. Market regulars know “that if they’re looking for peonies, we’re the ones,” at least during the peony’s glorious three-week heyday.
Fleeting Beauty, Enduring Commitment The brief peony season is an intense one at Red Twig Farms; as many as 10 employees are dedicated to harvesting and processing the delicate buds. But although the harvest has a short window, “the cultivation and care to produce quality blooms lasts the rest of the season.” Which brings us back to Red Twig’s model, and the family so carefully crafting it. Peonies are one more piece in the local agriculture puzzle the McCullough family has been assembling for nearly two decades. In conversations with Karl and Terri, the phrase “passionate about horticulture and design” is rivaled only by “phenomenal family” in frequency and sincerity. At the end of the day, the peonies are one more way to honor these twin passions. By filling in fallow fields, providing a fresh product, and supplying another revenue stream, the peonies add one more leg to the entrepreneurial stool. “Everything we try to do, we try to diversify,” says Karl, who brings his years of managerial experience at a Fortune 500 agricultural company to bear on the McCullough’s ventures. In turn, these ventures, ever more wide-reaching, allow three generations of McCulloughs—not only Karl and Terri and their two sons, but also their two adored daughters-in-law, and two grandkids—to braid business and lives together. “We build on each other’s strengths,” Karl says, and in so doing, the McCulloughs re-write, daily, small farming success in the 21st century.
Beyond Twigs So what does the future hold for Red Twig? Great things, if past success and pending projects are any indication. They’re working to identify expert partners to ship their perishable peonies further afield, to Cleveland, Chicago, possibly points beyond. Their twig business is strong and growing, and knows no geographical bounds. McCullough’s Landscape & Nursery is thriving. Additionally, the family recently acquired 10 new acres, which they’re deep in the long, labor-intensive process of preparing for planting. Planting what? “We’re going to expand to more crops, but we’re letting the family decide where they want to go.” As in all things at Red Twig, the future will be, first and foremost, a family affair. Red Twig Farms; 14401 Jug Street Road, Johnston, Ohio 43031; 614-989-0976; redtwigfarms.com.
Molly Hays graduated from the university of Washington with two degrees, one Mellon Fellowship, and no idea when to buy a melon. Since moving to Ohio in early 2009, Molly and her family of five have been getting to know Columbus one ice cream scoop at a time. Molly writes about food and life at remedialeating.com.
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edible COLUMBUS