Uniqueness: Truly One-of-a-Kind

“Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else”…

And The Green Pineapple is just that!

We’re a mindfully curated boutique offering eco-conscious clothing, accessories, and home accents, as well as an organic wellness cafe.

The combination never ceases to awe and impress visitors, guests, and passersby. And if there’s one thing we hear folks say most often, it’s likely “We wish we had one of these where we live!”, which always reminds us just how unique the Green Pineapple really is. We’re truly unlike anything else. 

But if there’s anything more unique than our business model, it’s our team of staff. While it may seem that the style of our clothing lines and the tastes of our cafe items are what define and set us apart as a business, it’s the individual faces of our team that really make us who we are. 

Being a combination of fashion boutique and wellness cafe, and having both an in-person and online presence naturally creates quite a diverse array of backgrounds among our staff. From researching, designing, and displaying the latest fashions, to studying, sourcing, and preparing worldly cuisine, our in-house staff comes armed with quite a variety of skill sets. Add to that our marketing team who keeps busy with projects like staging photo shoots, managing our websites, and maintaining connections through social media and you get a pretty broad spectrum of talent.

And of course, within this, each of our team members also brings an authenticity all their own. Because honestly, what's more one of a kind than a person?!

Here at The Green Pineapple we value and appreciate this aspect so genuinely that we’ve even engrained  “uniqueness” into our set of core values, stating, “Each of us is one-of-a-kind. We honor the originality of everyone, and work to bring authenticity to every interaction.”

We're thrilled to celebrate the exceptional diversity within our staff, a reflection of the vibrant tapestry of Key West itself. Our team comprises individuals from various cultures, ethnicities, and countries around the world, alongside proud Key West Conchs (the term for those born and raised in Key West), each contributing their unique talents and perspectives.

Within our cafe team, we’ve got folks from the Caribbean, Central America, and various U.S. states spanning from the West Coast to the Great Lakes, to the Florida Keys, and places in between. Our cafe members have come from as far away as Ukraine to as close as growing up just down the street.

Our boutique team features faces from the Southern states, including Texas, Kentucky, and Florida (from one end of the state to the other)! This team also includes associates from the farther away European countries of Italy and Hungary.

The Green Pineapple consists of staff members boasting master’s degrees, as well as new students who are just getting their feet wet and starting their college careers. Some of us are moms, some are dads, some love to dance, and some love to sing.

One of the biggest joys of working with such a diverse group of people is getting to know each person better individually. But while we have the pleasure of spending lots of time with each other to do so, we understand our guests don’t always get this same luxury, so we’d love to shine the spotlight on some of our members here to share this treat with you. Without further ado, we’ll start with none other than the woman who’s at the head of it all  - Jennifer Hulse, Owner of The Green Pineapple.

Jennifer is extremely hands-on here. She’s involved with all aspects of daily operations, from perfecting her milk-frothing skills behind the cafe counter to informing guests about our latest styles on the boutique floor.

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Jennifer obtained a law degree from the University of Louisville School of Law and began her practice. Five years later, she moved her practice to Key West, where she focused her skills on assisting small businesses. 

While living here in Key West, Jennifer has spent time serving on the Board of Directors of the Key West Chamber of Commerce and the Sunset Rotary and maintains involvement in other local charitable organizations. She enjoys being active and can be spotted out and about, walking her dogs and practicing yoga. And rumor has it she’s been known to throw some kickin’ dance parties as well!

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On the boutique side of things, Rebecca, who’s been with The Green Pineapple for six years, brings with her over 25 years of retail experience in the areas of tech, apparel, and home goods.

She says, “Watching my team grow and sharing my passion for connecting with the community and our clients is what makes me feel like I’m making a difference each day.”

Born and raised in North Florida, Rebecca, along with her husband of 14 years, has lived as far west as Las Vegas and as far east as Boston. She is passionate about living an active lifestyle and happens to be a certified yoga instructor and business owner to boot. Rebecca is an animal lover and enjoys the pleasure of bringing her dog, Avus, to work with her in the mornings.

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Tiffany, our stylish operations manager, can be found behind the boutique counter at either of our Key West boutique locations, decked out in scrubs working in a clinic as a Physical Therapist Assistant, and out and about in the community spreading our values!

Born in Ohio, she grew up in Texas and moved to Key West in 2018. Tiffany thrives on connecting with people and enjoys engaging in conversation with our guests. She’s remained in close connection with her best friend since the third grade and has been married seven years, meeting her husband 14 years ago on a blind date! Together, along with a group of others from Key West, she and her husband walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain last summer.

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One of our newest boutique associates, Gabby, is a “Freshwater Conch”, as she was born in upstate New York, but has lived in the Keys for nearly 30 years! Raised on Sugarloaf Key, she graduated from Key West High School, and then returned to her island community after college. Gabby is proud to now be raising her own family here, alongside her husband (a “Saltwater Conch”).

Gabby enjoys being outside in nature, going on adventures, and spending time with her family. About working at The Green Pineapple, she says, “I am honored to be part of such a strong team with beautiful intentions.”

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Sonia is our bellissima Italiana in the boutique. Born and raised in Italy, her mother comes from Venice, and her father is from the Amalfi Coast. Her family still lives there and she goes back to visit as often as she can.

Sonia loves to cook which likely stems from her father being a chef. She also loves nice things, which places her perfectly within The Green Pineapple team, working here as both a sales associate and an inventory assistant over the past two years. In her early days, Sonia was a professional dancer and still carries a love for dancing.

You can be sure she’ll greet you in the morning and bid you farewell when the day is done with her signature “Ciao!”

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Shoshana, aka “Sho”, originally from Boston, has been an active Key West resident for the past 25 years and currently blesses us with her presence as a boutique associate. 

She is known as a consummate fund-raiser and is all about giving back to her community. She has served on the board for both the Key West Women’s Club and our local SPCA and chaired the American Cancer Society. When not behind the boutique counter, you might find her in a vest adorned with badges and medals from receiving honors and awards such as “Woman of the Year”, Samuel’s House “Woman of Integrity”, and the “Monroe County Unsung Hero Award”. She says she loves being part of The Green Pineapple team because we are also charitable conscious. 

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Serving as the bridge between business and employees across all areas within The Green Pineapple is our Human Resources Director and boutique associate, Edina. 

Edina grew up in Hungary and came to the United States 11 years ago. Ten years ago she found herself in Key West by what then seemed “on accident”, but now feels fated.

Just when Edina thought she was done working in HR, she found and fell in love with The Green Pineapple team, and said “HR is where my heart is.” Edina is a lover and a dreamer, and has a heart big enough to fit the entire world inside of it! Among many, her loves include socializing and dancing (so much that she has spent time as a professional ballroom and Latin dancer in Hungary). 

Edina dreams of many things, like continuing to expand her own business, starting a family, and finding a deserted island where she can spend her days peacefully on the beach, collecting seashells. When she’s not busy behind the scenes or behind the boutique counter here at The Green Pineapple, Edina passes time creating decorative frames and such from the shells she’s already collected.

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Layla Barr, chef and creator of The Green Pineapple Wellness Cafe, is a woman of many hats (though a chef’s hat just might be her favorite).

A California native, Layla has lived in Key West for 26 years, during which time she raised her beautiful daughter Bela, who has also been a GP team member and is now studying Neuroscience in college. 

Layla’s greatest joy has been parenting, but she also has a passion for travel, music, and dance. She has visited 47 of our 50 states and numerous other countries saying, “I love infusing my cuisine with flavors inspired by my travels. I believe that sharing food that has integrity, and is both nutritious and delicious, can be a beautiful form of connection.”

Layla’s been cooking professionally for nearly 30 years now, and believes that “food is medicine”. She started her culinary career as a pastry chef and has since earned a Master's degree in Integrative Nutrition, a Holistic Health Coaching Certification, and a certification with World Central Kitchen as part of their Chef's Relief training program. She’s spent countless hours preparing and delivering food and aid to folks affected by hurricanes Irma and Dorian. Layla’s served for more than a decade on the boards of Montessori schools in Key West and has received the Monroe County Unsung Hero Award. She says that being of service is when she feels most alive and fulfilled. 

Layla deeply resonates with and believes in The Green Pineapple’s mission to help inspire people to live a more conscious lifestyle and walks her talk every day.

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Carol, our longest-standing cafe member, has been on The Green Pineapple team for several years and has had the unique opportunity to watch the business grow and evolve over her time here. Raised in Michigan, she spends half of the year here in the kitchen with us and the other half back in her native state running her own catering business.

Carol was a Metalsmithing major at Northern Michigan University, and graduated from Leiths School of Food and Wine, in London. Carol’s spirit for adventure, good food, and the outdoors led her to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness preserve in Montana, where she cooked for her friend’s hunting outfitter one fall.

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Baylie (which translates to “lies by the bay”) is one of our newest cafe team members but has been in Key West for almost the longest. Baylie is a third-generation Key West Conch, born and raised right here on our beautiful island. She is currently attending nursing school with the College of the Florida Keys, and when she’s not busy studying or serving our guests, she loves to spend her time free-diving in our local waters.

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Behind the scenes (and often behind the camera lens!), you'll find our marketing partner, Jenny Lorenz, owner and founder of the local marketing business, Local Life Media.

Originally hailing from Chicago, IL, Jenny graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree. After nearly a decade in Milwaukee, a fateful snowstorm spurred her to chase a new adventure in Key West, where she honed her marketing skills across various roles before becoming the Director of Marketing at The Perry Hotel on Stock Island. In late 2020, Jenny took the leap to start her own business, and we've been proud to partner with her ever since!

Outside of work, Jenny thrives on the outdoors, traveling, and running, and is a self-proclaimed brunch enthusiast. With six marathons under her belt, she's currently gearing up for her seventh Chicago Marathon this October.

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And finally, writing as “we” when speaking on behalf of The Green Pineapple, there is actually an “I” with her fingers on the keyboard. My name is Brielle, and I’ve been working in The Green Pineapple Wellness Cafe for about a year and a half. I pride myself on my coffee-making skills and truly thrive engaging with our customers.

I began writing our blog posts last May and can’t believe it’s been almost a year since then! I’ve enjoyed and had a knack for writing my whole life and somehow that’s manifested into being able to do this for you all now!

I grew up in central Wisconsin and moved to Key West in 2008 after I fell in love with the ocean. I came and went for several years until my daughter was born here in 2014. Since then, Key West has been our home base as we travel a lot, spending summers in Wisconsin and road-tripping along the way. 

Some might know me as Brielle Jeanette, which is the name that I go by on the music scene. I’ve loved music and singing for as long as I can remember and got into performing with musicians here in Key West about 11 years ago. I started as a vocalist and have recently learned to play and incorporate guitar into my performances. There is nothing that makes me feel more alive than being on stage and expressing my soul through the sound of my voice.

I live a very holistic lifestyle, with a focus on nutrition, physical and spiritual health, and my general well-being. I received a health coaching certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2016 and have been a certified yoga instructor since 2019. I practice yoga regularly, and love to be outdoors, walking, running, and alone in nature.

I have been honored to be part of The Green Pineapple team as the company’s values so perfectly align with my own. I am so grateful to be constantly supported and encouraged to share my unique talents and abilities, along with those of my teammates, both within and outside of the business.

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So, as you can see, just as The Green Pineapple is indeed unique and very much unlike anything else, clearly every one of us is also truly one-of-a-kind.

We here at The Green Pineapple, wholeheartedly value and honor the authenticity of every single person on this planet, and are proud to each be unique individuals who make up our “One Human Family”!

We’d love to hear what makes YOU truly one-of-a-kind. Please take a moment and head to our Facebook or Instagram page to share your uniqueness with us!