Floragem Wins Top Innovation Award
October 17, 2006

Vista, California Floragem, a marketing company comprised of experienced growers and innovative horticultural professionals, announces winning a major supplier award – Top Innovator for The Home Depot. Beating out major consumer product manufactures such as Glidden Paint, Scotts and John Deere, Floragem with the introduction and marketing of a completely new impatiens - VIVA!® SunPatiens®, took home this award October 17th at a presentation in Atlanta.

VIVA! SunPatiens are a new style of impatiens – bred by Sakata Seed America and grown by the Ecke Ranch and introduced exclusively in over 1700 stores during spring and summer 2006. New and unique breeding, these vigorous landscape style impatiens thrive in full sun and high heat that set back common impatiens. 2006 saw 4 colors introduced through The Home Depot while 2 new colors – SunPatiens® Vigorous Lavender and SunPatiens® Spreading Salmon Variegated will be added in 2007.

Deena Altman, managing director of Floragem was delighted with this award, “We work hard for chances like this – to bring truly unique and new genetics to a major retailer in a proper and appropriate consumer package. We have come along way from that old generic red petunia.” She continues, “The Home Depot is very committed to innovative new products and product ideas, Floragem has the role of helping connect a good idea from a breeder and help turn it into something very special at retail.”

Leading edge packaging using POP and Picture Pots was combined with PR outreach and consumer media ad placement in such publications as Southern Living and Sunset Magazine. Floragem was able to help put the SunPatiens story in front of 10’s of millions of home gardeners.

Floragem coordinates growers and retailers to place high quality plants and related product items into retail stores nationwide. Floragem is experienced at building exclusive national brands through cohesive marketing programs that increase consumer brand awareness and traffic to the retail stores - and ultimately boosting sales and profit margins.

Floragem has in it stable of programs the VIVA! program – grown by the Floragem grower network and sold exclusively to Home Depot and is working with growers and retailers throughout the US and Canada.