Little Otter Flower Farm Grows Opportunity, Connection, and Beauty in Bedford County
By: Brittney Kay Neal | Photos By: Ashlee Glen
At Little Otter Flower Farm, beauty is measured in more than blossoms. It’s found in meaningful work, connections between neighbors, and the joy of receiving an unexpected bouquet. Founded in 2020 by Jennifer Kohn and her son, Max Kohn, the award-winning Bedford County farm has a mission as colorful as its flowers: to grow flowers, people, and community.
Jennifer’s original vision extended beyond creating a business where Max, an autistic adult, could find meaningful employment. She wanted an enterprise that would build upon his strengths, encourage professional development, and eventually provide him with an independent livelihood. Today, that vision is becoming reality.
When Little Otter began, Jennifer managed approximately 60–70 percent of its operations. Today, Max handles roughly 80 percent, including planting, harvesting, maintaining the property, managing finances, and selling arrangements at the Bedford Farmers Market. “It is Max’s farm,” Jennifer said. “Max runs the farm.”
Cultivating Potential
The inspiration for Little Otter emerged following Max’s participation in a community-based learning program that included an internship at a garden center.
While it was a positive experience, Jennifer noticed the responsibilities offered little opportunity for advancement. “They were more than happy to have him sweep the greenhouse, load people’s cars, but it wasn’t developmental,” she recalled. For Jennifer, meaningful inclusion means recognizing individual strengths, providing appropriate accommodations, and continually offering opportunities to develop new skills.
Flower farming offered an opportunity to build a business around Max’s interests while allowing his responsibilities to evolve alongside his abilities. He particularly enjoys the physical demands of farming, including hauling heavy loads of mulch, dirt, and other materials. His horticultural knowledge has grown equally impressive.
Little Otter cultivates more than 40 flower varieties throughout its growing season, each with specific harvesting and care requirements. Max’s remarkable memory helps him track planting locations, schedules, and customers, many of whom he remembers years after their first meeting.
One of his greatest talents, however, emerged unexpectedly. Jennifer initially envisioned a straightforward wholesale flower business, with floral design absent from the original plan.
When a local resident donated antique Mason jars, Max began experimenting with arrangements. Today, his signature “riots of color” have become a defining feature of Little Otter, incorporating different flowers and colors on every side. Jennifer, an economist and adjunct professor at the University of Lynchburg, happily leaves the artistic decisions to him.
Preserving Beauty, Cultivating the Future
Little Otter’s environmental stewardship extends beyond growing beautiful flowers. Among its treasured blooms are purple heirloom dahlias gifted by a Bedford woman entering assisted living. She had received the original plants from a neighbor 65 years earlier, making them descendants of Bedford-grown stock approaching a century old. Today, Jennifer and Max proudly serve as their caretakers, preserving this little piece of local history.
Looking toward the future, the farm is collaborating with Virginia Tech to cultivate a quarter-acre of native pollinator plants for seed production. The initiative aims to address the limited regional availability of native pollinator seed while providing additional flowers for arrangements. Together, these efforts reflect a philosophy of caring for what has been passed down while cultivating what comes next.
Kindness in Full Bloom
While Little Otter operates as a for-profit business, community connection remains central to its mission. One beloved initiative is Max’s Random Acts of Kindness program, through which customers purchase arrangements to brighten someone’s day. Originally created so friends and family outside Virginia could support the farm without requiring flowers to be shipped, the program quickly gained local popularity. During the 2025 Season of Kindness campaign, the farm delivered approximately 450 random acts of kindness.
Max coordinates deliveries, contacts recipients, plans routes, and photographs completed deliveries to share with purchasers. His favorite part is receiving their replies. He particularly enjoys the farm’s regular hospital deliveries, where his flowers offer brightness to people experiencing difficult circumstances. Little Otter also contributes flowers to community organizations, fundraisers, and local events.
Max’s involvement extends beyond growing and selling flowers. He leads floral arranging workshops and visits Bedford-area schools, using an interactive Flower Farm Year game to teach children about seasonal farming responsibilities. He has also shared his experiences at a Care Farming Network conference, advocating for meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities. Through these activities, the farm has become a platform for connection, education, and increased understanding of what autistic individuals can accomplish.
A Blossoming Future
Little Otter grows its flowers locally and seasonally, generally harvesting from late March through October. Rather than importing wholesale blooms to accommodate specific requests, the farm creates arrangements using what is flourishing in its fields. Offerings include farmers market bouquets, limited consumer and corporate subscriptions, and arrangements for intimate weddings and smaller events.
Despite its growing recognition, Jennifer and Max have no aspirations of building an enormous operation. Their vision is a sustainable, profitable business that provides Max with financial independence while remaining connected to the Bedford community. As Max develops his planning and driving skills, he moves closer to his goal of managing Little Otter entirely independently. Jennifer, meanwhile, has a slightly different vision for her future: more time in her rocking chair.
Together, they’ve created a thriving business, a platform for advocacy, and a demonstration of what can happen when opportunity is designed around someone’s strengths and allowed to grow with them.
Their philosophy is simple. They may not be able to solve every problem in the world, but they can make their own corner more beautiful. And at Little Otter Flower Farm, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
To learn more about Little Otter Flower Farm, visit littleotterflowerfarm.com.
