A brief history of the Cargo Report newsletter.

Before social media, cell phones, the internet or emails, how did bromeliad lovers find their newest plant? Tropiflora’s Cargo Report, of course!

Tropiflora was established in 1976 as a small, mail-order bromeliad nursery. It began as a side business; a hobby, really, as Dennis Cathcart, the owner, held a full-time job at Florida Power & Light. Over the years the business grew in size and production and 15 years later the first Cargo Report newsletter was written. Dennis wrote at least 6 issues per year for 19 years with the goal of keeping our customers up to date with descriptive listings of new bromeliad varieties, seedling availability and growing tips. As many loyal readers know, the newsletters covered this and much more. Each issue was a snapshot of our current plant inventory, including a funny story or two about Dennis’ latest adventure and a work of art, literally. The artist Verona Warkentin Simmons illustrated hundreds of plants, photos and cartoons for the Cargo Report over the years. December 2002 brought the first “in-color” issue. With the rise of online commerce and ever-increasing production costs, the July 2009 issue was the final newsletter produced..

Now you can search your phone browser to find bromeliads and tillandsias (air plants) just about everywhere. But let us take you back to the days when the search for new bromeliads was at a fever pitch, and much more difficult…

Published March-April 1995