A recent trip
to Europe has paid dividends for Underhill Ferneries, a
thriving, family-owned agricultural business in Barberville in
northwest
Volusia County.
“We used to
ship to Europe and wanted to re-enter the market,” said Frank
Underhill. “I was planning a trip to Poland and was able to make
contact
with a wholesaler in Warsaw. We ended up shipping him 80 boxes of
cut greens and decorative foliage.”
Underhill said
while the initial response to his company’s products has
been encouraging, getting the freight cost down enough to allow for
profit has
been a challenge that has not been resolved. “The initial response
by our
Polish customer has been encouraging and we are optimistic their
customers
will generate new demand for our products,” he said.
Underhill
Ferneries is a three generation family business. Its products
go well beyond ferns and cut foliage. The company also offers
decorative wreathes through The Magnolia Company; magnolia trees
through its Estate Trees Division; tree seedlings, gift trees and a
variety of tree gifts through its Seed of Life Division; and
garlands through the Garland Farm Division.
“It’s a
business that requires entrepreneurial spirit, management skills, a
mastery of agriculture and plenty of creativity,” said Vann
Underhill, Frank’s
brother and a 25-year veteran of the business. He has been
developing a
zamia floridana for export to Europe. “It’s a sustainable plant,
drought tolerant and it thrives on limited light,” he explained.
Packaging includes a biodegradable rice-hull pot.
While he has
overseen this initiative, he said the business is still very much a
family business. His parents Frank and Jean, while retired, still
are vitally interested in the business. Vann and his brother, Frank
Jr., are joined by
their sister, Mary, and their brother-inlaw, Matt.
Family
tradition prevails at Underhill Ferneries, with a commitment to
producing the highest quality products through creativity, ingenuity
and hard work.
