If Willy Wonka ever wanted fresh flowers, he’d probably buy them from Wild Archer Flower Farm. It’s where long rows of flower seedlings line the in-ground pool. And even more seedlings live in grow tents that look like silver-lined, illuminated bookshelves. They stand not too far from rolled-up paper sculptures and other random projects, all the vivid, vibrant products of a child’s imagination. In the garage, there’s even a brightly colored cart to hold all the blooms.
And then, there’s Charlie. No, not the Winner-of-the-Golden-Ticket Charlie. But a four-legged English setter named Charlie who’s the best friend of seven-year-old Archer McCulloch. Archer is the CEO, CFO (Chief Flower Officer), and official namesake of Wild Archer Flower Farm.
His employees? Why, Mom and Dad, of course!
“Now that he’s older, he wants to make some money,” explains Wild Archer’s Chief Operations Officer, Nate McCulloch, whose other job is at a biotech company.
Since the next-door neighbors had a lemonade stand going, Archer didn’t want to enter an already saturated market. So, he and his team launched a different venture.
“We thought we could have a little flower cart at the end of the driveway,” recalls Chief Marketing Officer, Stephanie McCulloch, who also works as a design director during the day.
Sounds easy enough. Right?
Building from the Ground Up
The first step was simple: Just buy 10,000 tulip bulbs from Tulip World. Last fall, those went into fenced-off, raised flower beds in the McCulloch’s side yard. Turns out, Archer’s a natural at planting.
“The easy thing with the bulbs is we just basically put them in, and then he throws a bunch of dirt on top,” explains Nate.
Archer even used an auger to drill holes for the daffodils.
“It’s only a drill with a bit on it,” says Archer, speaking like a true gardening pro.
When the tulip bulbs went dormant over the winter, Stephanie’s creative mind went to work to develop a name and logo that would bring their gardening brand to life.
“We wanted it to feel fun and kid-like and different,” she recalls.
After looking over a long list of names, the family landed on Wild Archer Flower Farm, and then Archer chose the logo. Now that the business had an official name and playful brand identity, it was time to get the Wild Archer flower show on the road.
Nate designed and built a self-service flower cart that could easily be rolled down to the end of the driveway or transported to a local farmers’ market. The construction involved “a lot of Home Depot trips,” according to Archer.
Once the cart was built and had its first coat of paint, it was Stephanie’s turn to add the finishing touches in bright shades of yellow, pink, orange, and green.
“I was quality control,” she explains with a smile.
Petal to the Metal
With everything now in place, Wild Archer Flower Farm just needed its first crop to bloom, which it did much sooner than expected. Imagine waking up to never-ending tulip blooms — like the gardening version of Everlasting Gobstoppers.
“We had such a warm March,” Nate recalls. “We weren’t expecting tulips that early, and we needed a fridge right away — so, Amazon!”
The fridge was for the flowers. To preserve the blooms, tulips need to be picked — bulb and all — before they open. Then, they’re wrapped in paper in bunches of 10 to 15, and dried stored in a refrigerator, which stops the flowers from opening. The day before they’re needed, the tulips can be taken out of the refrigerator and rehydrated.
Because tulips essentially bloom all at once, the McCullochs were harvesting tulips non-stop in early spring.
“We were going out like two to three times a day,” says Stephanie. “You really have to catch them at the right time.”
Business Is Blooming
Once the blooms were all picked and stored, it was time to start taking their colorful first crop to market. Archer and his dad brought the Wild Archer cart to the Montgomery Farmers’ Market about once a month over the spring. (After all, as a young entrepreneur, Archer needed to balance his business life with other priorities like playing soccer, doing ninja things, or going to birthday parties.) They also sold bouquets via their Instagram page, and a few of Archer’s school teachers bought bouquets, as well. By the end of May, Wild Archer Flower Farm had made a little over $300.
Archer used the money to purchase a 3D printer. He also donated a third of the proceeds to Our English Setter Rescue, a national nonprofit founded and headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, which supports rescue and adoption of English setters throughout the United States. Charlie, decked out in his favorite canine sweater, thinks it’s a wise investment. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad have provided additional venture capital to buy seeds and bulbs for blooms later this summer and fall.
As Archer drives around the family’s rural five-acre property on his ATV, Stephanie reflects, “It’s all been just sort of an experiment, but it’s been fun. He tells his friends he’s got a real job.”
At this flower factory, everlasting memories are in full bloom. And that’s pretty sweet.
Want to help keep Wild Archer Flower Farm growing? Follow Archer, Charlie, and the Wild Archer crew on Instagram with videos, progress, flower cart days, and farmers’ market stops.
@wildarcherflowerfarm | Instagram.com/WildArcherFlowerFarm