Our History
Our History
In 1969, the owners of a small Colombian farm came to the United States. They walked into the Pennock Company in Miami, Florida looking for someone who was willing to make a difference in the floral industry.
Peggy Gillice was Pennock’s bookkeeper at the time. She saw endless opportunities and set up a meeting between these gentlemen and her husband, John. The synergies were there, the timing was right, and the opportunities were endless. They became pioneers in the fresh flower importing business.
Both companies wanted to be able to serve the retail clients with the highest quality and lowest overhead possible. Our first shipment was in May of 1969 and consisted of ten boxes. The idea was to bring into Miami only products that had been pre-sold. We would not ship in product that would sit in a cooler waiting to be sold. It would be farm direct.
Peggy’s daughter, Colleen Taber joined the company in 1973 and quickly became the face of the company. Gardens America was incorporated in 1976. Colleen’s passion was visiting clients, forming lasting relationships with them, and educating them about the importance of buying a brand. Colleen became the owner in 1998 and retired in 2015 after 42 years of service. The family tradition continues as Kristin Gilliland, Colleen’s daughter is the current owner of Gardens America, Inc.
Our vision was then and still is to provide outstanding products and services through our wholesalers to those retailers who appreciate quality, consistency, and who value being a selected distributor of Gardens America, Inc.
Three Generations
Colleen Taber, Kristin Gilliland, Peggy Gillice
(Left to right) Peggy Gillice, Sky Phaebl, Colleen Taber, Kristin Gilliland
Our Brand Evolution
