A southern success story

Photos courtesy of Alan Waller

When Battlefield Farms got its start in 1990, it was a hydroponic plastic range of 6.5 acres. Now, it’s the largest greenhouse operation in Old Dominion, growing and selling numerous crops for spring and fall, as well as holidays from Easter to Christmas.

Some of Battlefield’s success is attributed in part to its partnership with plant brand Proven Winners, says Alan Waller, director of sales and marketing at the greenhouse.

Between products like Supertunia Bordeaux, Bandana Lemon Zest and Superbells Holy Moly!, Proven Winners selects quality genetics for its offerings, he says.

Waller has been with Battlefield for seven years. When he arrived, he says, the company already had an established relationship with Proven Winners.

“It’s gotten bigger as we’ve seen success with sell-throughs and seen success with growing the crops and finishing the crops,” he says.

Waller says Proven Winners is a top brand at retail because the company’s brand is well-recognized and offers high performance products for consumers.

“We live in such a P.O.S.-based world that we’ve got to be very sensitive to what our customers are seeing — and not just our customers, but our customers’ customers,” he says. “As they’ve had success, we’ve continued to grow.”

Waller adds that when Proven Winners names a National Plant of the Year, it does well at Battlefield. For instance, Lemon Coral Sedum was Proven Winners’ 2019 Annual of the Year, and it sold well.

Proven Winners sells a strong portfolio of crops in both its Grande program and finished product, Waller says. “A lot of the growth we’ve seen, not surprisingly, has been in specifically their cali programs and their Supertunias,” he says. “A lot of the varieties that they offer are very unique.”

Waller applauds Proven Winners’ consumer research, which he says is strong because the company grows and sells much of its own product.

“I think they have a good understanding of what’s going on in the marketplace, [whether] being from a genera standpoint or even a color palette,” he says. “They are very willing to share their successes. They give us traction to new ideas because they want you to be successful.”