The Fresh Bunch
The Fresh Bunch (formerly '2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers') is your all-access pass into the wild and wonderful world of flowers. Hosted by Michael Black, Mimi Pacheco, Ryan Black, and producer, Joel, keeping us sounding fresh—we bring you unfiltered conversations about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the floral industry’s trends, challenges, and characters. From flower fails to petal-powered success stories, each episode blends laughs, insights, and special guests from all corners of the flower world. It’s part podcast, part therapy, and all fresh—welcome to The Fresh Bunch - a Jet Fresh Flowers podcast.
Episodes
197 episodes
Ep. 196 - Just Recapping with the Freshies
While Mike is off playing Santa in Ecuador, the Fresh Bunch goes delightfully off the rails in this laugh-out-loud filler episode. From the biggest (and quirkiest) flower trends of 2025 to the words that defined the year, we recap the moments, ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 196
•
50:06
Ep. 195 - Rooted in Passion with Marc Sassen of VIP ROSES
In this episode of The Fresh Bunch, we dive into the remarkable journey of the Sassen family—whose story began on a small carnation farm in the Netherlands in the 1960s and blossomed into one of the world’s most renowned floral brands....
•
1:08:08
Ep. 194 - The Fresh Bunch Wrapped Episode: Hail, Holidays & Highlights
A Wrapped Episode This week, the Fresh Bunch sits down for our own year-end “Wrapped,” unboxing a full lineup of stories and highlights. We dive into all things Miami Art Week, reminisce about our own Artful Fresh Fest,...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 194
•
43:52
Ep. 193 - Good Words, Good Business: Robert Luebcke’s Floral Philosophy
This week, The Fresh Bunch brings you an episode overflowing with New York energy and floral heart as we welcome the one and only Robert Luebcke of J. Van Vliet NY. Robert shares how his uncle first pulled him into the floral wo...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 193
•
1:06:42
Ep. 192 - From Idea to Ink: The Story Behind The Pursuit of Purpose by Lane DeVries
Extra, extra — Freshies HEAR all about it! We’ve got BIG news on the Fresh Bunch Podcast! Lane DeVries’ brand-new book, The Pursuit of Purpose, officially has a launch date. On November 24th, the book is available on Amazon, and ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 192
•
56:15
Ep. 191 - Sweet Home Smilax with Jordan Prosser of Salters Evergreen
The Fresh Bunch is back and bringing the laughs — even though we are missing Mike! This week, we’re hanging out with Jordan Prosser of Salters Evergreen, the Alabama Smilax Specialist. Jordan gives us the lowdown on Smilax, his N...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 191
•
43:02
Ep. 190 - Big Ideas, Bigger Blooms: Joe Don Zetzsche on Retail, Roots & AI
This week on The Fresh Bunch Podcast, we’re going Texas-sized with a true industry legend — Joe Don Zetzsche of Rocking Bar Z.With a 35-year career leading the floral revolution at H-E-B, Joe helped transform everyday flower sho...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 190
•
1:22:39
Ep. 189 - The Halloween Hangout
The Halloween Hangout: Welcome to our spontaneous Halloween Hangout, recorded right in the Jet Fresh Customer Living Room! We've got Lil Tulip (CJ) joining the crew, plus a few fresh faces popping in. Jimi's joins us with a few scary jokes, ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 189
•
1:00:27
Ep. 188 - From Roses to Real Talk: Rosaprima Joins the Fresh Bunch
This week on The Fresh Bunch Podcast, we’re catching up with the Cash & Carry Crew all about customers, flower picks and costumes. We welcome a couple of very special guests from Rosaprima — Nicholas Chang, VP of Sales & Marketin...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 188
•
1:07:34
Ep. 187 - Celebrating Petal It Forward with a Bunch of friends
This week, kindness is in full bloom as we celebrate Petal It Forward — the annual goodwill initiative now in its 11th year, with nearly 500 participants spreading smiles a few stems at a time.We’re joined by our partners and fr...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 187
•
41:08
Ep. 186 - Really Bad Flower Jokes - a Fresh Takeover
This week, The Fresh Bunch goes off the rails (in the best way possible) as Jimi the Tulip hijacks the show with a full bouquet of dad jokes—cringe-worthy and hilarious in equal measure. With Mike out, Ryan, Mimi and Joel hold down the...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 186
•
48:08
Ep. 185 - Catching Up with a Rising Star: Sahid Nahim of New Bloom Solutions
This week on The Fresh Bunch, we reconnect with Sahid Nahim, President of New Bloom Solutions and host of The Bloom Show. Fresh off receiving the Society of ...
•
1:24:40
Ep. 184 - Roses, Tweedia & Strawberries: Janet & John Louie of Green Valley Floral
This week on The Fresh Bunch, we sit down with the inspiring mother-and-son grower duo, Janet and John Louie of Green Valley Floral—a proud third-generation Japanese American flower farm in Salinas, CA, cultivating beauty since 1973.
•
Season 2
•
Episode 184
•
1:15:40
Ep. 183 - From Costa Rica to Palm Beach: The Artistry of Varito Vasquez
This week on The Fresh Bunch, we're giving Jimi another shot at guest hosting — and he’s not holding back. We kick things off with a quick recap of the Petal Grand Opening event (yes, Mimi got the tattoo!) before diving into ...
•
1:25:41
Ep. 182 - Design Big, Waste Nothing: Danielle Curry of Oliflor
This week on The Fresh Bunch Podcast, guest host Jimi the Tulip steps in and brings the flower power with his longtime friend and fellow floral phenom Danielle Curry of Oliflor in Miami. Danielle runs one of the most exciting sustainab...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 182
•
1:08:33
Ep. 181 - The Tariff Tango with Christine Boldt of AFIA
The Fresh Bunch is back in session! This week, Mike, Ryan, and Joel return to the mic as we say goodbye to summer and hello topromising autumn. With school back and vacation winding down, the floral market is picking up steam—but there’s a chil...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 181
•
1:04:55
Ep. 180 - Petal to the Metal; a floral roadtrip with Dali & Mimi
Buckle up, podcast pals! This week on The Fresh Bunch, Dali and Mimi are in their floral Thelma and Louise era. Join us for a high-speed (well, maybe just a very scenic) quickly recapping their adventures, from hitting up wholesalers to reuniti...
•
Episode 180
•
30:27
Ep. 179 - Flowers, Family & Outstanding Varieties with Dave Mitchell of Mitchell's Florist
This week on The Fresh Bunch Podcast, we’re joined by David Mitchell, President of Mitchell’s Florist & Flower Delivery — a family-owned shop that’s been blooming in Chicago’s southwest suburbs for more than 50 years. From h...
•
1:07:09
Ep. 178 - Floral Art, Wearables & Hydration Chambers featuring Susan McLeary aka Passion Flower Sue
This week on The Fresh Bunch, we’re joined by the one and only Susan McLeary—visionary floral artist, educator, and boundary-pusher behind Passion Flower Sue. Known for her exquisite living artwork, Susan creates...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 178
•
56:57
Ep. 177 - 8/8 Alchemy, Gratitude & Golf Shorts with Say Sukii
This week, The Fresh Bunch is joined by the ever-inspiring Sukii Qi — the Lifestyle Alchemist and Floral Artist behind Say Sukii. Sukii takes us on a deeply personal journey that began in the floral department at Whole Foods a...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 177
•
1:20:54
Ep. 176 - Married to the Biz, Working with Your Spouse/Family
In this special episode of The Fresh Bunch, Mike, Mimi and Ryan are joined by 2 of the freshest members to the Jet Fresh team, Connor and Ty Black. Connor is the youngest of Mike's sons, who just about 1 year ago today started working ful...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 176
•
1:06:02
Ep. 175 - Trend Hunting with Juliana Bustillo of Ora the Floral Agency
The Fresh Bunch kicks off its rebrand with a fresh dose of inspiration from Juliana Bustillo, Founder and Creative Director of Ora the Floral Agency—"the first" floral-exclusive design agency built to help traditional brands and...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 175
•
1:01:25
Ep. 174 - LIVE FROM PALM SPRINGS – AIFD Symposium Special!
Coming to you LIVE from the AIFD Symposium in sunny Palm Springs, California, Ryan is taking over, joined by an incredible lineup of floral industry powerhouses and friends!In the first half of the episode, we dive into fresh pe...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 174
•
50:13
Ep. 173 - Branding & Bouquet Battles with Natalia Regateui of Esmeralda Farms, Sunshine Bqt. & More
This week on our still-unnamed flower podcast, we’re joined by the multi-brand powerhouse Natalia Regateui. Natalia plays a key role on the marketing team behind Esmeralda, Sunshine Bouquet, Genviv Breeding, and now Flores Del Este—some of the ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 173
•
1:10:02
Ep. 172 - In Memory of Frank Biddle - (Reshare Episode #142. 11/22/2024)
This week, 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers dedicates a special episode to the memory of our dear past guest, Frank Biddle, who recently passed away. We are replaying episode #142, where Frank, the visionary behind FBI Flowers and Tradewinds I...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 172
•
1:39:29