Bouquets as a go-to gift on a mobile

European Business: A man founding a flower delivery service sounds unusual at first. What do flowers and bouquets mean to you?

Aron Gelbard: For me, making people happy is something I'm really passionate about. For all of us at Bloom & Wild, we're committed to building a more thoughtful business all around from our flower design to our technology. Flowers are such a wonderful expression of emotion, and today we open up WhatsApp, see emotive news and want to buy a gift. When I started Bloom & Wild, there wasn't a natural app or website to go to from WhatsApp, so we have built a brand that people love as their go-to gift on a mobile.

European Business: Why do customers need a flower delivery service although flowers can be bought at many different locations all over the cities?

Aron Gelbard: Shoppers are much more time poor than they ever have been and we're still seeing the shift to online. We also see over 90% of our orders being sent long-distance, so there's definitely a role to play for our service as we ship to the UK, Ireland, France and Germany.

European Business: How do you make sure that all the flowers needed for your bouquets are available throughout the year?

Aron Gelbard: We have an excellent supply chain and a network of farms that we source from based on the season. Most of our stems come from Kenya year-round as the climate conditions and altitude there are perfect for growing flowers all-year round. This means we use much less energy heating greenhouses. It also means we produce six times less CO2 than hothouses, (even with the air miles), which use a full range of chemicals, heating and sunlight-replacing lamps to grow flowers. On top of that, it also creates employment opportunities with fair working conditions in a developing country. Flying in stems from Kenya and sourcing locally from the UK and France in the summer allows us to minimise this footprint as much as we can. Sourcing varies by country as well.

In France for example, our central dispatch warehouse is set on a family farm that produces flowers. We seek to make responsible decisions that ensure flower quality, make delivery simple and improve customer experience overall.

European Business: We all know flowers have an impact on our feeling and mood: Is the gift of a bouquet more restricted to private life or are they perfect for the office as well?

Aron Gelbard: Many of our orders are given as work-related gifts sent to offices. Who wouldn't want a bouquet of flowers at their desk? I always have one close by.

Interview: Vera Gaidies | Photos: Bloom & Wild