NC Made: Refugee farmer grows a thriving flower business in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As ABC11 continues spotlighting the people and products that are North Carolina Made, we're introducing you to a local entrepreneur whose journey to the Triangle is as remarkable as the business she's built, Kree's Flowers.
From a refugee camp in Thailand to a flourishing flower farm in Raleigh, Kree Paw Sain has turned a lifetime of resilience into a growing business.
"I was in a Thailand refugee camp," said Kree Paw Sain, refugee farmer and owner of Kree's Flowers.
Sain fled violence in Burma when she was just 5 years old and spent time in a refugee camp before her family resettled in North Carolina in 2007.
"Growing up, I grew my own veggies."
Her love of farming began with her grandmother. "My grandma will take me to the forest with her and to harvest."
Those lessons stayed with her as she built a new life in the United States. With support from Raleigh-based nonprofit Hope Refugee Partners, Sain transformed her agricultural knowledge into a business: Kree's Flowers.
"I told myself I want to grow a flower that I can share with other people so that they can, you know, last longer. And also, fresh."
Today, Sain grows more than 40 varieties of flowers at the Karen Community Farm in Raleigh.
"This is our second year in this location."
The farm sits on land owned by the Triangle Land Conservancy and provides refugee families with space, equipment, education and support to build their own agricultural businesses.
"We lease the land. They provide equipment, they provide this space, they provide education. So it helps us, you know, refugees to grow our own, you know, food and also learn for, you know, other people. This is a different weather than where we, you know, we used to live. The Piedmont area is harder to grow than Thailand."
Starting over meant learning much more than farming.
"First was English. English was not my first language. But, I watched a lot of YouTube how to, you know, start a small business, how to, you know, plan all of this flower. So it was it was very hard. But I am doing, you know, step by step."
And step by step, her business has blossomed.
"I love flowers... it's just one of my favorite things to do."
Kree's Flowers now offers bouquet subscriptions in the spring, event florals, and handmade candles.
Sain says her success is rooted in the support she's received from the community.
"The community is a big one for my small flower business. They supported me with the love."
Now she's giving that love back, one bouquet at a time.
"I love that. You know, I can share my gift to other people."
Kree's Flowers are sold every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the farm stand at Karen Community Farm, located at 4429 Old Country Mill Road in Raleigh. She also does events and special orders.
