Brittani and Amanda are co-owners of Buds Flower Co. and Nonahood residents. Read our interview with them below!
Nonahood News: What is your job?
Brittani Luongo & Amanda Grace: We grow, curate, design, and deliver floral arrangements for our budding small business, Buds Flower Co.
NHN: What does your day-to-day schedule look like?
BL & AG: Each day is different, but they always start and end with family and flowers. You can find us turning our backyards into flower farms, talking with local and national flower farmers and wholesalers to get the freshest blooms, delivering bouquets, or learning the best techniques for our unique growing climate.
NHN: What would you say are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
BL & AG: We’re grateful to say it’s been a challenge for us to keep up with the demand for fresh flowers in Lake Nona. What started as a booth at the Lake Nona Farmers Market and monthly flower workshops has become a daily pursuit. The most rewarding aspect is seeing the joy on our recipients’ faces, especially during this difficult time. Each arrangement is something we’d want to give/receive, and we’re really proud of our feedback.
NHN: What got you interested in doing your job in this area?
AG: I’ve always loved flowers and the joy that a single stem can bring. I started growing cut flowers a few years back and surprising my friends with homegrown blooms. The passion for flowers Brittani and I share led to about a year of market research. We officially launched at the farmers markets in 2019.
BL: Farming has always been in my blood. My grandfather was a strawberry farmer in Plant City, and my sister and her family own and operate a flower farm outside of Tampa – Country Song Farm. My passion for flowers only grew after her farm launched and inspired me to do something similar in Lake Nona.
NHN: Do you have any interesting hobbies, collections or interests?
BL & AG: We thought this would be fun to answer for one another.
AG: From magazine-ready home décor and design to baking and her unmatched attention to detail, Brittani is basically the Joanna Gaines of Lake Nona. Seriously, she is goals.
BL: You can find Amanda in her home gym or on the Lake Nona trails. She enjoys reading, photography, family time, and laughing at her own jokes. She’s basically the Chip to my Joanna.
NHN: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
BL & AG: Living our best life in Lake Nona. We hope to continue to grow Buds Flower Co. into a business that you can call on to celebrate life’s big and little moments, expand our farming capabilities, and partner with local farmers to bring the best variety of home-grown flowers to our community. Having our own brick-and-mortar flower shop is the ultimate dream!
NHN: What brought you to Lake Nona, and when did you move here?
AG: My husband and I moved to Orlando four years ago for work. As soon as we visited Lake Nona, we knew we found our home.
BL: We searched all over Orlando for a community that was different. I’m a home décor fanatic, so there was no way I was going to agree to buy a home that looked like the house next door. After looking at Winter Park, College Park, Baldwin Park, and all of the other parks, we accidentally drove to Lake Nona with a friend and immediately fell in love with Laureate Park. The rest is history.
NHN: Where are you from originally?
BL: A little town in between Tampa and Lakeland called Seffner, Florida.
AG: Texas.
NHN: What would you say is your favorite thing about Lake Nona?
BL & AG: The people and the authentic sense of community. People genuinely care about, support, and want to get to know their neighbors here. Your neighbors become your extended family.
NHN: What would you say to anyone who is considering a move to Lake Nona?
BL & AG: Do it. The quality of life here is unmatched. Spend some time here and you’ll meet the incredible people and experiences that make Lake Nona home.
Photos Courtesy of Brittani Luongo and Amanda Grace
