VISTA, CA - December 10, 2002 - Floragem, Inc., a marketing company representing a network of select wholesale growers for the retail market, today announced it has expanded its nationwide network to 30 growers. This expansion is in preparation for the launch of a significant nationwide retail effort to be announced in early 2003.

Through this retail effort, Floragem's network of growers will become the exclusive suppliers of a branded line of plants for one of the United States largest gardening retailers. Efforts to strengthen their network of hand-selected growers nationwide are intended to position Floragem to handle the increased supply and distribution necessary to fulfill the increased demand for their products.

"Our growers are well-respected in their regions and provide a broad offering of high-quality live plants to our end-customers," said Deena Altman, founder and vice president of marketing. "Through our experience, we have discovered what retailers need, and now we have a coordinated effort to ensure success for everyone involved."

Each grower member of Floragem's network is hand-selected by Floragem, and they benefit from the collaborative marketing power of the cooperative's coordinated effort. Growers are selected based on their proven record of producing quality product with consistent supply and their relationships with retailers. Floragem implements stringent quality control standards, merchandising and product fulfillment programs that result in quality products with a consistent "look and feel," including branded packaging and in-store retail support.

"We are very pleased to have been selected as one of Floragem's network of growers," says Bill Brentlinger of Seville Farms (Lillian, TX). "We are proud of the plants we grow and our affiliation with Floragem will provide us with the marketing support and increased demand to achieve more sales and higher margins this year. The quality point-of-purchase materials and nationwide marketing initiative give us confidence that our products are well-represented at the retail level."

About Floragem
Floragem, Inc., founded in August 1999 and based in Vista, CA, is a marketing company that develops effective and innovative live good plant programs for the retail market. Floragem's primary focus is coordinating growers and retailers to place exclusively branded, high-quality plants and related product items into retail stores nationwide more efficiently to drive sales and increase profits. For more information visit www.vivagarden.com.