Next month, Two Dog Organic Nursery will be the first nursery included in the Shops at Showcase, the high-end retail market at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design.
“We got started [at the La Cañada Farmers Market] and immediately were well embraced,” Jo Anne Trigo said. “It was one of our very dear customers at that market who had participated in Showcase House herself as a food vendor who said you must [get into Shops at Showcase.]”
Families interested in organic gardening don’t need to tear out their lawn, the Trigos said. The pair began gardening in their moderately-sized backyard, located in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles, with a half dozen above-ground planters.
What started as a personal hobby, however, slowly transformed into a business endeavor. The Trigos began visiting farmers markets on the weekends, looking for opportunities. They applied for a nursery license, and went through a series of inspections with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The couple learned to work through the layers of regulation and paperwork that came with each new plant species they wanted to add to their sales list.
“You have to call [the California Department of Food and Agriculture], put it on the list, they come and see the item, you present them a form, they put a stamp on it, it comes back to you and that is when you can take it to market,” Alejandro Trigo said.
The Trigos continue to educated themselves about organic urban farming in order to grow their business, but also to become more discerning consumers.
