Scotts embraces 'garden-to-table'

In a move to solidify its edible gardening business, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has completed a minority economic investment in Bonnie Plants, the largest and only national grower and supplier of quality vegetable and herb plants for consumers.

As part of the partnership, Scotts Miracle-Gro will provide exclusive marketing and R&D services to Bonnie Plants for its edible gardening initiatives.

“By combining Bonnie’s expertise as growers with our core strength in marketing, we believe our partnership can bring a new level of excitement to the edible growing category and create even more gardeners who share a passion for growing their own food at home,” said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro. “This effort represents an important element of our long-term plan and a key component of expanding our relationship with gardeners throughout the United States.”

Fueled by edible gardening trends, the nearly $7 billion live goods category is one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry, according to Scotts. Health and wellness are major drivers in garden-to-table trends as consumers look to make more sustainable and healthy choices.

The investment in Bonnie is a key element of ‘Project Focus,’ a multi-year strategy outlined by Scotts last year to focus on the current and emerging categories of the lawn and garden industry in its core North America business.

Other areas of focus include organic gardening, hydroponic gardening, supporting water positive landscapes as well as bringing Internet-enabled technology to the garden.

Bonnie Plants is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Alabama Famers Cooperative. Based in Decatur, Alabama, AFC has 37 member associations, including approximately 90 retail locations, and 2,300-plus employees. All facilities operated by AFC are governed by local, farmer-owned cooperatives.