Equity firm now majority owner of Smith Gardens, but family ties remain

Brothers still have partial ownership of Bellingham company that started as a 40-acre farm on Marine Drive

By: Sophia Gates

Outlets: Cascadia Daily News

Published: February 3, 2026

Words: 498

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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Generations of the Smith family turned what was once a 40-acre produce farm on Bellingham Bay into the 4-million-square-foot greenhouse flower-growing operation it is today.

Smith Gardens now has a new majority owner in private equity firm Hoffmann Family of Companies — though Eric Smith, who will remain at the helm with his brother Mark, stressed that customers and employees won’t see any changes.

“They will get the same driving spirit out of …

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