Mt. Eden Floral Company - How we started

Nearly a century ago, a Japanese immigrant named Zenjuro Shibata started the Mt. Eden Nursery Co. in Hayward, CA. The company's first crops were vegetables and field flowers. The first greenhouse was built in 1918 to grow carnations. By the mid 1930's Mt. Eden chose roses as it's main crop. The company nearly ended, however, because of the disruption to the family caused by World War II and the internment of Japanese-Americans during the war. After the war's end, Mt. Eden came under the leadership of oldest son, Yoshimi Shibata, supported by his 3 younger brothers.

The 50's saw the younger Shibata expand the company beyond rose growing. First, Shibata started a rose growers co-op with 9 other growers and called it the "Rose Pool", so named because the growers "pooled" their inventories daily under the Mt. Eden label. The aggregate pool production enabled Mt. Eden to become the largest rose grower in the U.S. A separate company, also named Mt. Eden Nursery, was started to market and distribute the Rose Pool's flowers nationally through the wholesale distributors. A chrysanthemum breeding and propagation company named California-Florida Plant Co. was also started in the 50's. CFPC's mission was to supply Mt. Eden chrysanthemum growers with good quality plants and the newest varieties.

The 60's were marked by expanding production in the Salinas Valley. Mt. Eden and the Rose Pool growers tripled their rose production during the late 60's and early 70's. Mt. Eden was selling an average of 150,000 stems of roses a day.

In the 70's, Mt. Eden expanded into the terminal wholesale business and began to sell seasonal flowers from third party growers as well as domestic and imported floral supplies. In addition to the wholesale operations started in Northern California, Mt. Eden also expanded to the L.A. Flower Market in Southern California when GM Floral was started there.

The 80's saw the domestic flower production plateau, including Mt. Eden's. Mt. Eden's distribution business, however, continued to grow and expand during this time. Floral supply sales nearly tripled, sales to supermarkets started, and Mt. Eden started to sell offshore flowers.

The 90's were a time of decision, change, and charting the future for Mt. Eden. The company had to create and execute a new business model based on the realities of an over supplied world market. At the same time, the company transitioned from the second to the third generation. The new millennium will be a time of challenge and opportunity for Mt. Eden Floral Company. The company expects to grow existing businesses and, as in the past, expand into new areas of floral distribution.