Life & Work with CJ Hipp-Barros of Loganville, GA

Today we’d like to introduce you to CJ Hipp-Barros.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2020, I had just joined the Director’s Guild of America as a 2nd Assistant Director working in film and TV. Then, the film industry completely shut down during Covid. I found joy working in the garden every day. I thought if I could make gardening at home a career it would make for a more fulfilling lifestyle.

I didn’t want to do professional landscaping, so I thought I needed to be a florist. I took in-person design classes and online certifications in 2022. I didn’t enjoy working with imported flowers, like you find at the grocery store or purchase from a wholesaler. I hadn’t discovered the wonderful network of local flower farms, so I thought I needed to learn how to grow my own flowers for cut arrangements.

In Fall 2023, I had a baby girl and knew I couldn’t go back to the 80 hour work weeks of my life in the film industry. For 2.5 years I grew and sold flowers to friends and neighbors from our home in East Lake, Atlanta. In August 2024, we moved to scale up my flower production into a farm.

Fugate Flowers is a 2 1/2 acre property in Loganville, Georgia. Using locally-grown flowers, I offer online ordering for bouquets, arrangements, and wholesale to florists.

(Few-get) is a family name. My great-grandmother, Mary Louise “Granny” Fugate, and my Grandmama, Mary Edna, shared their love for gardening with my mom, who then taught me. My heart is full when I think about the legacy I carry on in honor of the strong, female role models who raised me.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There is a huge learning curve when it comes to gardening and the stakes are higher as productions increases. Growing in nature many elements are simply out of our control. Even something as beneficial as rain can happen in excess to the point of causing fungus on foliage or rotting tubers/bulbs in the ground.

Almost everything I grow is started from seed. Each different crop has specifications for planting depth, germination temperature, growth spacing, pinching, support infrastructure, ideal harvest stage, and post-harvest handling. There is a lot of knowledge required to grow a variety of plants in order to be able design a well-rounded bouquet.

You can read books, take courses, watch videos, but none of it can encompass all the nuances of growing in your particular environment. There is a lot of proactive care that is involved in anticipating problems and the only way to prepare for those issues is to have the experience of what didn’t work out last time.

The other unique farming factor is timing. If you miss a planting deadline and a frost comes early, killing the unestablished crop, well, good luck next year. Depending on the crop and the growing season, you may not be able to replant. It takes most cut-flowers 3 or more months from seed to bloom.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The connection between flowers and mental health is very important to me. Depression runs in my family and has affected me personally. My quality of life has improved getting up everyday and spending time outside tending the garden.

Cut-flowers also have an immediate effect on happiness and well-being. I always feel better when fresh flowers are in the room, and I want to help other people find the same joy in flowers that I do.

I used to just grown flowers at home for family and friends, but now I’m able to share my flowers more widely and help more people feel happy.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Sharing my flowers isn’t just selling a product. They’re a labor of love, so sharing them feels personal. Giving them to others sometimes feels vulnerable and requires that I open my heart to possible criticism. However, I’m proud to be in a role that inspires me to be more open-hearted. I have loved connecting with customers and other flower farmers.

Pricing:

• Grower’s Choice Wrapped Bouquet $30
• Grower’s Choice Deluxe Arrangement $60
• Retail Designer’s Bunches $125

Contact Info:

• Website: https://FugateFlowers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fugateflowersatl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fugateflowersatl