Hello, dear friends and supporters of Bonita Ranch! I’m Yenny Passanante, and alongside my husband, Steven Passanante, I have the pleasure of owning and operating Bonita Ranch. This week, we’re celebrating two significant milestones in our journey – five years since our plants started growing here in Melbourne, Florida, and one year since we expanded our vision to include events, making Bonita Ranch a premier destination for weddings and corporate events in Brevard County, Florida.

A Dream Takes Root

Five years ago, Steve, my parents, and I moved to what we now call Bonita Ranch, bringing with us our beloved Bromeliads, which we started growing in South Florida. Our passion for plants and commitment to sustainability drove us to create a space in Brevard County where high-quality plants grow and make their way into the homes of plant enthusiasts across the country, especially through our online sales channels. We also began hosting workshops and selling designed plants wholesale for events like teacher appreciation days, corporate celebrations, and later as party favors for weddings and events.

Growing into Agritourism

A year ago, we decided to take Bonita Ranch to the next level by incorporating agritourism into our business model. This expansion transformed our nursery into a stunning event venue right here in the heart of Melbourne, Florida, allowing us to share the natural beauty of Bonita Ranch with couples and businesses looking for a unique and memorable location for their special occasions. Our dream of creating a place where love and nature intertwine became a reality, and we opened our doors to weddings, corporate events, and other celebrations.

Sustainable Events

One of our most important goals was to host events in an eco-friendly way. Our nursery plants play a vital role in each event. We designed and built planters with wings that remain closed daily for our plants to grow in our agricultural building. When we have events, those wings open and become tables for weddings and events, with the plants as the centerpiece and greenery. This approach reduces waste, as our plants remain there after the event until a customer takes them home, instead of becoming trash. This means our customers save on décor costs, and we contribute to a less contaminated planet.

We also incorporate this vision through our party favors: ‘Let Love Grow.’ Our customers offer their guests a tree as a party favor that they can take home, plant, and watch grow, symbolizing the beginning of their love. This alternative to plastic party favors results in more plants in the world and less trash.

Our nursery pad serves as a parking lot too. We built a compact pad because the royal palms growing there need a solid ground for heavy trucks to transport them when they’re ready.

Experiences and Magic Moments

Throughout this journey, we’ve had many learning experiences – most of them good, some of them great. The most important lesson we’ve learned is that plants and love truly make each other better. Witnessing families start their lives together at Bonita Ranch by saying “I Do” has brought magic and meaning to our dream. Each wedding and event has added a new layer of beauty and joy to our beloved Bonita Ranch.

A Heartfelt Thank You

As we reflect on these past years, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible support from our community and friends. The growth of Bonita Ranch from a nursery to an agritourism business has been a collective effort, and we couldn’t have done it without the love and encouragement from our friends, family, and clients.

Looking Forward

As we move forward, we are excited about the future of Bonita Ranch. We look forward to growing our nursery even more into a place where families can come and interact with nature in an experiential way. We want to offer spaces where your hands can get dirty designing your own plants and where families can learn about nature. We also look forward to hosting more weddings, destination weddings, elopements, proposals, anniversaries, birthdays, and corporate events, creating unforgettable memories for all who visit. We love when people say our place transports them to the towns of Italy or Spain, and we aim to nurture that feeling to offer a true Mediterranean experience right here in Florida.

To all celebrating life milestones at Bonita Ranch, thank you for trusting us with your celebrations. We are committed to making every experience at Bonita Ranch magical.

Here’s to many more years of love, growth, and unforgettable moments at Bonita Ranch!

With love and gratitude,

Passanante Family