In a landmark episode of The Bloom Show, Sahid Nahim sat down with one of the floral industry’s most respected voices—Joe Don Zetzsche—for a wide-ranging and timely conversation about the future of florals, technology, collaboration, and marketing. With more than 35 years in mass retail and 16 years leading the floral division at H-E-B, Joe Don has not only seen the floral industry evolve—he’s played a role in shaping its transformation.
Now, in his latest chapter as founder of Rocking Bar Z and newly appointed correspondent for New Bloom Media, Joe Don is bringing his wisdom, candor, and forward-thinking mindset to the broader floral community.
This conversation wasn’t just a look back—it was a blueprint for the future.
From H-E-B to Rocking Bar Z: A Legacy of Strategic Impact
Joe Don’s floral journey is deeply rooted in retail and responsibility. At H-E-B, he helped shift the floral department from a traditional supermarket setup to a full-service destination known as Blooms by H-E-B. As Joe Don shared, “We transformed that business from a traditional supermarket cash-and-carry floral department to a full-service flower business branded Blooms.”
After retiring, Joe Don founded Rocking Bar Z, a consulting firm named after his family’s historic cattle brand—still registered in the state of Texas. The name symbolizes legacy, roots, and authenticity. “That brand, we branded cattle with that brand. My grandfather, my uncle, and my dad used that cattle brand,” he said.
Through Rocking Bar Z, he now works directly with CEOs, growers, and decision-makers to build collaborative strategies that move the floral industry forward. “It is gratifying and I absolutely believe that I am doing consequential work today and I am more excited than ever about the things we can do together.”
The Real Driver of Floral’s Future? Digital Transformation.
Joe Don didn’t mince words: “It’s all digital, my friend.”
He explained that today’s customers are influenced primarily by digital channels—from social media to AI-driven content—before they ever enter a store. “Everything is being driven and will be driven in the future through AI, through technological change, but it will be digital.”
He also gave a practical example: “I went to my favorite question-answering AI agent, which is Perplexity, and I said, ‘Search my name, search my website. Write me a professional bio that’s not longer than three paragraphs.’ And it was done. It was completed in seconds. It was polished.”
Digital tools, he emphasized, are becoming intuitive and accessible. “You just have to play with them and know that if it doesn’t do what you want it to do today, give it two weeks and try again.”
A Wake-Up Call for Floral Marketers
Joe Don was clear: the floral industry has underinvested in marketing.
“The fact is that we have not as an industry embraced marketing in any meaningful way,” he said. “Being a great grower, creating a massively powerful supply chain is not enough.”
He cited examples of companies doing it right, like LiveTrends: “One of the best I see doing this honestly is Bisser of LiveTrends… he’s able to create an image that is easy for a retailer to market.”
And he made an important distinction: “Mass retailers are focused on the total brand. They’re not focused on individual products. And so it’s up to us to make sure that we are embracing those channels with messages around what we want customers to see, which is our flowers and plants.”
What to Expect from Joe Don’s New Role at New Bloom Media
As New Bloom Media’s first official correspondent, Joe Don will contribute monthly 10-minute segments and recap blogs. His role? “To bring that mindset of the experiences that I’ve had to help make sure that folks hear from what buyers are thinking, what they’re feeling, what they’re going through, what their organizations are going through real time.”
He emphasized that buyers rarely voice their real concerns publicly: “Everything they give is going to be filtered… I’m free now to say the straight talk.”
Joe Don’s updates will focus on:
- Mass retail strategy
- AI and automation trends
- Buyer behavior and insights
- Real-time updates like tariffs or supply chain shifts
He summed it up best: “My passion is this industry. My love is the people on this call—the people that are engaged every day tactically in how do we sell more flowers to more people every day.”
That Flower Feeling: A Unified Approach to Marketing
Joe Don also used the episode to advocate for a cause close to his heart: That Flower Feeling—the nonprofit campaign focused on increasing floral consumption.
“If the tools will allow us to effectively and cheaply connect directly to customers about flowers, why wouldn’t we do that? And wouldn’t it be easier to do that together?”
He explained the Unit Sales Program as a way for retailers to fund marketing: “You can create a That Flower Feeling logo on a retail package, a sleeve of the fresh cut flowers… and from that you can, with agreement with that retailer, pass along 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents per item or per case directly to That Flower Feeling.”
“The way that they can fund it is by working through a grower to apply a percentage or a couple of pennies… It’s also a way for retailers to be able to help fund because the fact is again, this has come from my experience… a mass retailer is not going to cut a check to a nonprofit association that’s driving marketing. They don’t have access to those funds.”
Final Thoughts: Moving Forward Together
As the show came to a close, Sahid and Joe Don both reflected on what drives their work.
“We’re not good yet,” Sahid said. “We’re going to get better and there’s going to be so much more information to continue to get us better.”
Joe Don echoed the call: “We need to grow our industry and as an industry we have to evolve to drive success… I want to bring that unique skill set of my experiences… to help you make decisions, to help you have a future-based approach with what you’re doing.”
Whether you’re a florist, grower, distributor, or supermarket buyer—the message was clear: the floral industry is ready for the next chapter. But it’s going to take strategy, collaboration, and an intentional mindset shift.
“This is going to be fun. I look forward to the future and these conversations we’ll continue to have together.”
Watch the full episode of The Bloom Show featuring Joe Don Zetzsche:
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Our Message to the Community: Let’s Rethink, Rebuild, and Reconnect
At New Bloom Media, we believe that innovation, strategic communication, and real conversations are the lifeblood of a thriving floral industry.
This episode of The Bloom Show—featuring Joe Don Zetzsche—was more than a spotlight on one leader’s journey. It was a call to evolve: to embrace digital transformation, to rethink how we market flowers, and to build stronger bridges between every level of the supply chain.
Joe Don’s insights remind us that the future isn’t waiting—it’s already here. And it’s up to all of us to shape it. Whether you’re in the field, behind the design bench, or leading logistics, your voice matters. Your strategy matters. And our collective growth depends on action and alignment.
Let’s continue learning from one another, supporting bold ideas, and using platforms like The Bloom Show to spark progress.
Because just like flowers, this industry blossoms best when nurtured together. 🌸
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