Happy never give up day! While it’s not a big event, it’s a day here at Amaranté that we all come together to commemorate where our business began.
Like many businesses, Amaranté started in the bedroom of our CEO and company founder, Kay Seehra.
Although she didn’t start out with the initial intention of creating Amaranté - Kay had always wanted to do something involving flowers. No matter how much they're loved, fresh flowers have a very damaging impact on the environment. Knowing this, Kay was determined to do something different. From the very beginning, she strived to create a forever flowers, an eco-friendly, sustainable alternative to fresh flowers.
After researching all possible substitutions, Kay teamed up with a farmer in Ecuador. Together, they created a sustainable preservation process, ensuring our forever flowers remain as fragrant and beautiful as they are the day they’re received. Now perfected, this is a process that is still being used to create our infinity roses.
Finding out just how destructive the farming and distribution of flowers is, became a key factor in Kay's journey for change.
From Fresh to Forever Flowers
People have been buying flowers for centuries. But they are likely not aware that most flowers are farmed in poorer parts of the world, where the economies aren’t being supported.
Flowers are never delivered straight to their destination. Even the liveliest and brightest blooms, found in most coffee shops, typically cooed from somewhere else half-way around the world and would have been transported on a plane. Only after all this long travel, would the flowers reach their ending point.
This immediately decreases the life of the flowers, before they're able to be sold and enjoyed. Plus, with all the fuel used by the plane creates a massive carbon footprint, something we have now managed to rise above.
Infinity Roses are Fairtrade
In the formation of Amaranté, Kay ensured that the farmer she partnered with was Fairtrade and B Corporation certified. This enabled Amaranté to support farmers, workers, and the environment, right from the start of the partnership. Amaranté has since continued its support. It also has consistently delivered the very best quality infinity roses to customers all around the world.
While finding and perfecting the preservation process came naturally to Kay, setting up Amaranté was a whole new challenge. With a background in accounting, Kay knew there was still a lot she needed to learn. But her inexperience wasn't going to stop her. By putting her head down, Kay has manage to build Amaranté up to be the UK's most trusted florist on Trust Pilot.
Rather than giving up and letting someone else take over, Kay taught herself everything she needed to know. Using free available platforms such as websites and YouTube, Kay became a self-taught professional. She make the most of all the learning devices available to progress Amaranté in the right direction from the very start.
Now, three years later, Amaranté is constantly climbing the ranks without slowing down. Sustainability remains at the forefront of everything Amaranté is trying to achieve. Amaranté plants two trees every time someone places an order. Every flower arrangement is made to order, and zero waste is created.
However much she’s achieved so far, Kay still has many goals to accomplish. The dream of Amaranté one day being the world’s most luxury sustainable florist, being available to everyone across the world. While some may see it as a far-fetched vision, Kay has already proven that hard work and determination can make anything possible.
One day, we will all live in a world where everyone understands the damaging effects of fresh flowers on the environment. Choosing sustainable alternatives is the way forward.
This change has now begun, and for Amaranté, it’s only just the beginning.