The Story Behind Tulip Valley Farms

Did you hear about the colorblind tulip farmer? When Tulip Valley Farms founder and CEO Andrew Miller stumbled into tulip farming in 2019, he discovered he LOVED it. He loved the farming of tulips, he loved the business of tulips, he loved the relationships built around tulips, and, most importantly, he discovered a passion for sharing tulips.

The fact that he is red and green colorblind is simply an inconvenience.

Watch King 5’s story about how Andrew and Holly work together to create fields that Andrew simply sees “differently.” See him try on color blindness correctional glasses.

Because Andrew is colorblind, one of the many titles his wife, Holly, has is “Chief Color Officer” of Tulip Valley Farms. Holly meticulously designs and plans each row of tulips and patterns in the garden. With this in mind, she is heavily involved in bulb ordering, working with bulb brokers around the world, and all things that require creativity and design.

“I wasn’t born into farming, but I got here as fast as I could,” Andrew said.

Andrew holding a bundle of red and pink tulips at Tulip Valley Farms

Farmer Andrew’s Path to Tulip Valley Farms

Andrew was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Washington. After graduating from Mount Vernon High School, he served a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil, where he met Holly (from Puyallup), who was also serving a mission.

Andrew joined the Air Force and worked as a linguist and intelligence officer as his family grew to eight (yes, 6 kids). He graduated from Seattle University Law School, earned an MBA from Pacific Lutheran University, and earned a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga.

After leaving the military, he did brief stints at Amazon and Expedia before moving his family to Skagit Valley “because there’s no better place to raise a family.”

Tulip Valley Farms visitors in the field during Tulip Festival

Built Together: A True Family Partnership

Holly is a busy mom of 6, but as the kids got older, she found more room to bloom into Tulip Valley Farms. She spends countless hours counting bulbs, planning fields, sketching photo opportunities for guests, and so much more.

“This farm is something we truly built together,” Holly said. “I couldn’t have done it without Andrew and he couldn’t do it without me. It’s really special to have the opportunity to recognize each others’ contributions and see how much it means to people visiting the farm because, ultimately, that's what it’s about. We just want them to love tulips and daffodils as much as we do.”