We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa Benoit. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa below.

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

In 2015 my husband and I bought 11 acres of land a few miles south of town. We thought we would use it for his landscaping equipment and to store plants he would use in his landscapes. We also considered growing a pumpkin patch and apple orchard We planted a lot of apple, apricot and pear trees! As fate would have it, a local greenhouse business was for sale. The woman who sold us the 2 greenhouses went above and beyond to help us get started. We are forever grateful for the time she spent to explain how things work, what to order and how to care for the plants. We officially opened our garden center “The Cider Mill” in 2016. We have expanded the garden center. We now have 3 greenhouses and a bareroot barn. We plan to eventually be open year round once we build our store.

Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We have always been interested in starting a garden center, we just had to take the plunge and go for it. What sets us apart from others is that we like to make a living our own way and we enjoy the freedom that comes with being self-employed.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

We purchased our first 2 greenhouses from a local business. That is how we got started in the garden center business.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

We sold our apartment building a couple of years ago. We wanted to be out of the rental business so we could could focus more on our garden center.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Facebook: The Cider Mill Thief River Falls

Image Credits
Photo credit to Max Olson