FLOWERS DON’T DIE

Stuck with the wilting excess of flowers due to lockdown, nine business ladies in the events industry collaborated to mitigate their losses. BG Reporter, Phemelo Ramasu, picks up the scent.

The story of the local company, Bella Fleur is a remarkable one. Bringing together nine directors from diverse companies, the story is the beginning of a unique concept that speaks volumes about the power of collaboration, let alone of the fairer sex. Bella Fluer is the brainchild of 9 ladies who are already in the events industry and run their own successful event companies.

The collaborating partners comprises of Lebogang Seboko of All Things Events, Moratiwa Habana of Ratco Events, Bianca Hule of Alpha Events, Monica Matseke of Precision Events, Keletso Ketshabile of Lewakel Events, Tebogo Marodi of Tebbie Mos Catering and Décor, Tumelo Boikie- Pitlo of Décor and Flower Café, Monica Oletila of WeBrand Events and Ntombenhle

Oahile of Zulukhayalami Events. Earlier this year before Botswana was hit by the tornado of lockdowns, all the directors had individual events that they were working on. As events planners, they had ordered flowers for these events. But in the blink of an eye, they found themselves stuck with excess flowers. As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade and that is precisely what they did. Speaking in an interview with this publication, Seboko explains that the company was established after most of the founders found themselves stuck with flowers that they had ordered for upcoming events. Lockdown, she explains meant that they could no longer service the events they had sourced the flowers for and therefore the events were either canceled or postponed. “Fresh cut flowers are highly perishable, and as any perishable item they need to be utilized as soon as possible before they die,” she explains. To tackle this issue, they came up with the idea to make floral arrangements and sell them in this form. She explains that they were overwhelmed by the demand and realized that there was a gap in the market that they decided to fill. The company was registered on 05 August 2020. She explains that their services include fresh cut flower arrangements and gift hampers. They also service occasions or moments such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, get well soon, office flowers and funerals. She further notes that what sets Bella Fleur apart from other flower service providers in the market is that they are a women collaboration and that each one of the nine ladies in the partnership brings something unique to the table and that together their combined years of experience and skills make the magic that is Bella Fleur. “All the women in the company have undergone flower arranging courses in South Africa and Botswana in the past and this expertise is the beautiful service that Bella Fleur serves its customers across the country,” says Seboko. The company sources flowers from South Africa. It is the flower arrangement that has their unique magic touch. The type of flowers one puts together in a floral arrangement determines the outlook of the finished product, and it counts a lot. This often means that they give their clients extraordinary arrangement, and go to great lengths to ensure that they give them something that they will never forget. Seboko also points out that for those who are keen to be part of their growing clientele, they simply need to contact them through any of their social media pages or via telephone.

They will then discuss their needs and strive to customize the flower arrangement as per the clients brief. “We then deliver the finished product to the recipient. We truly enjoy this part when we see the receiver’s face light up when they see the flowers,” she highlights. Their target market is individuals or organizations that have the need or desire for fresh flowers. Their specific target market is romantic partners and gift- givers. Prices range from P450 upwards. The higher the price the bigger and more range of flowers one receives. She further shares that one of the milestones they reached since they started operation was the financial target they had set in a month. “Our goal was to reach it within 3 months. Our other highlight was our launch and the new logo which was our best moment as it felt so surreal,” she shares.