MINNEAPOLIS — For more than 100 years the Bachman family has been growing flowers here, and for 75 years the Lund family has been operating grocery stores here. A budding floral partnership was launched over four decades ago.

Bachman’s started marketing cut flowers via Bachman’s European Flower Markets in 1968 and that same year the first Byerly’s grocery store began operating in the Twin Cities. Ralph Bachman and Don Byerly Sr. partnered to open the initial European Flower Market at Byerly’s grocery store in Golden Valley, MN, according to a news release. The kiosk occupied a 500-square-foot area and sold inexpensive cut flowers and plants.

Paul Bachman can remember working in the Golden Valley store that opening day.

“I was in the back room breaking down rose bunches of 25 and rolling them in cellophane as dozens and half-dozens,” Bachman said in the release. “They were selling as fast as I could roll them.”

The floral-grocer relationship blossomed and Bachman’s was soon in all the Byerly’s locations.

Bachman’s rebranded the European Flower Markets division in 1989 as Flowers by Bachman’s in all Byerly’s stores. In 1997, Lunds grocery stores acquired Byerly’s and integrated the two formats under one company umbrella called Lund Food Holdings, Inc. Bachman’s recognized the potential of its supermarket floral concept, so in 2008 it began a new venture with Lunds and Byerly’s, operating floral departments in all Lunds stores as well.

Today, Bachman’s offers a wide selection of fresh-cut flowers, plants, bouquets, vases and gifts in the 26 Lunds and Byerly’s stores in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, MN.

In addition to its floral presence in the grocery stores, Bachman’s currently has six retail floral, gift, and garden centers in the Twin Cities. It also operates indoor and outdoor landscaping divisions, a nursery wholesale division, seven acres of greenhouses, and a 670-acre growing range near Lakeville, MN, which produces many of the plants, flowers and landscaping products sold through Bachman’s locations, according to the company’s website.

Bachman’s fleet of purple floral trucks delivers over 5,000 packages during an average week. For a busy Valentine’s Day week, Bachman’s will use over 180 delivery vehicles, including purple trucks, private cars and two cab services to deliver over 24,000 purple packages.