Flower Farm Collective

Jessica Eckford-Aguilera has always had a special connection to Newcastle. A born and raised Novocastrian, Jess is shaking things up by using her decades of passion and experience to give the Hunter a market like no other. Jess jump started her career in Events Management at the age of 18 and opened her first company in 2003 in Sydney. She made a huge splash, curating celebrated events such as Australian Bridal Fashion Week and Newcastle Fashion Weekend and working alongside brands such as McDonalds and Pfizer. After completing the third ABFW in 2016, Jess found her passions pulling her back to Newcastle to create her biggest project yet: The Newcastle Food & Flower Markets. From the beginning, Jess’s passion was to support as many Australian Flower Growers as possible and to give Newcastle a must-see destination for floral designers, locals and tourists to appreciate the best our city has to offer. The response has been overwhelming, with many delighting in the added convenience of having our first- class products on offer. But going forward, Jess has her sights set on even bigger goals for the Australian Flower Industry. With COVID she saw a real gap in the market to create an online platform that connects Australian Flower Growers to the right buyers. The Flower Farm Collective was born late 2020 with the official launch hitting 2021. The Collective is about reconnecting our industry and supporting an exciting new generation of passionate flower growers. It’s a platform that showcases our incredible Floral Designers as they deserve. The industry was hit hard over COVID. We aim to bring it back bigger and better! The collective aims to be the voice for the Australian Flower Industry. There is an exciting movement of young up and coming growers who share a passion for growing Jess says, they are more tech savvy and welcome new initiatives that will enhance their businesses and brand. There is so much planned for The Flower Farm Collective and we couldn’t be happier supporting the Australian Flower Industry.