EdenGrene Inc. (dba Bower & Branch), an online marketplace for independent growers to sell trees and plants direct to consumers, has acquired Tilly, a virtual landscape design service that creates custom design plans for homeowners and landscape contractors.
The newly combined company will focus on building Tilly’s existing Pro Network to offer landscape design fulfillment and professional installation of landscapes to clients across the country. All customers will have access to comprehensive professional design solutions and tree and plant fulfillment, whether they seek a singular tree or a multitude.
"We are delighted to welcome Tilly and their team into the Bower & Branch family," says Don Eaton, CEO of Bower & Branch. "The future of this industry is online, and our investment in Tilly supports that in a big way. In addition to their professional expertise and leadership, Tilly brings value through its proprietary technology and access to new markets, serving our business model and grower network well."
“Tilly has dedicated the last five years to mastering and scaling online landscape design. Following our customers’ lead, we are excited to solve their next major pain point - plant fulfillment,” says Alexis Sutton, CEO of Tilly. “An overwhelming majority of the homeowners we serve also want us to fulfill their plant orders, making this a significant growth opportunity. Tapping into Bower & Branch’s extensive grower network and curbside delivery service will allow us to seamlessly bring their design vision to life.”
On the heels of the design acquisition, private investment firm Denver Angels will lead a Series A funding round for Bower & Branch to fuel its growth and expansion.
Eaton founded Bower & Branch while managing his family’s 175-acre farm in Pennsylvania. He spent years extensively studying the industry and recognized the need to digitize grower inventories for sale online.
Bower & Branch specializes in trees that cannot be shipped in a box but are delivered via an extensive trucking network. Their product includes bulk plant orders and trees up to 30 feet tall which are delivered straight from their expansive grower network to the homeowner’s curb.
Tilly allows homeowners to collaborate directly with a professional over video chat rather than outsourcing the work overseas. The team includes landscape designers across the U.S. who are matched with a customer based on their regional expertise.
Tilly’s CEO Alexis Sutton, CMO Sarah Finazzo and design director Cate Singleton will transition to Bower & Branch, with Sutton becoming president of the combined entity and focusing on the expansion of the Pro Network across the country and Finazzo becoming chief communications officer.
