Crosslands Flower Nursery: Rooted in Family Entrepreneurship

Interview with Ben Cross, Owner, Crosslands Flower Nursery, UK

When Ben Cross began his career as a marine biologist, he never imagined he'd spend his days in a greenhouse. However, he eventually felt something that many other next-gens can identify with – the irresistible pull of an entrepreneurial legacy.

In the wake of massive unemployment during the Great Depression, Ben’s great-grandparents took full advantage of a government program to launch a farming operation. Twenty years later, in 1957, the family left the program, and Ben’s grandfather bought a farm to continue the business. The family would eventually transition from growing food crops to growing flowers.

After a decade working as a marine biologist, Ben was looking for a more meaningful path — one where he could feel connected to his roots — and decided to throw himself into the family business. Both have thrived: under Ben’s leadership, Crosslands has led a campaign to improve labelling on flowers in the UK, undertaken an initiative to promote sustainable growing and cultivated a greater sense of community among its customers.

We spoke to Ben about his transition from marine biology back to family and flowers, the challenge of competing against cheaper imports and why sustainability remains the backbone of Crosslands' operating model.

What was standing in the way of local UK growers establishing a firm foothold in the marketplace?

I love to cook, and I have always admired people like Jamie Oliver, who show families how to cook with local produce quite cheaply.

The food industry in the UK has come a long way, and the Jamie Olivers of this world have changed supermarket labelling. For example, the fish counter always displays a sustainable fish logo. The public is better educated about the food they buy.

However, there is no Jamie Oliver in the flower industry.

Supermarkets do not label flowers in the same way they label food. The label does not indicate where the flowers have come from, the chemicals involved in their production or information on their carbon footprint; it only says the flower name and price.

In 2014, I decided to do something about this. I gave up on trying to convince the government to help me, and I resolved to do it myself.

I developed a campaign called British Flowers Rock to educate the public about the details of their flowers. The campaign has slowly been disseminating information to the public, and it has been amazing to see it catch on. I am often asked to talk on podcasts, and I have been giving a lot of Zoom talks in greenhouses on British Flowers Rock.

The campaign is all about creating awareness within the community.

Today, our business supplies directly to the public. We supply direct to florists, farm shops, cafes and even restaurants with our flowers. That is how we have survived since 2014 – through education and awareness.