In this Team Flower Business Model Highlight, we're featuring Bell Meadow, an Irish flower farm and gifting website, and their unique business model: thoughtful gifting and unique floral delivery. Bell Meadow can be found online at www.bellmeadowireland.com or on social media @bellmeadowflowers and @bellmeadowliving.

Thanks for joining us, Bell Meadow. First question: Who do you serve?

Bell Meadow is a flower farm and a gifting website based in Ireland. We deliver flowers locally to customers every week and to Dublin for special occasions such as Mother’s Day and Easter. We ship products from our website nationwide in Ireland and a smaller amount internationally. Bell Meadow also ships dried flowers nationwide when in stock.

We sell flowers directly to a few select florists who are welcome to come and visit and make selections on the day. There is also a Bell Meadow range of seeds that was launched this year, expanding this September to include a wider variety of flower seeds for both the home gardener and flower farmer. Through the year, consumers can also purchase seasonal bulbs and tubers.

What is your most popular product or service?

Out of their diverse offerings, Bell Meadow has three most popular services and products: 

1. Gift bouquets are very popular, especially because our customers love to send flowers grown here in Ireland that contain both scented and uncommon varieties (they’re also simply beautiful!).

2. Flower seeds are very popular with people wanting to grow more flowers themselves, and our packets like Bee Mixes or Butterfly Mixes are great as little thank-you gifts that can be popped into greeting cards.

3. On the website, the most popular product varies from month to month! Home décor is trendy in the winter months. Picnic and outdoor products, such as a coffee thermos or picnic blankets, complete with leather carry holders are the bestsellers in the warmer months.

Do you work with a team?

Most of the time, I mostly work by myself, but there are many who make this business venture possible.

My family all get roped in with growing flowers. My husband was off work for a few months due to covid lockdowns, so we used the time wisely to get new areas prepared. My children have discovered a new way to earn pocket money by carrying trays or watering.

I was blessed to work with a fantastic website designer and mentor, Clare Jordan, who also designed my seed packets. I also work with a very talented photographer, Una O’Connor, who I’ve known for a few years and brings the flowers to life in photography. 

My wonderful neighbour is an expert groundsman who has put up my polytunnels and helped prepare fresh ground. He can do in a few hours with machinery that would take me weeks by hand. And another neighbour has helped with weeding in the last couple of months.

So I suppose in reality, in the face of it, I do work by myself ninety percent of the time, but it wouldn’t be possible without all those people!

What makes your business model unique in your area?

At the moment, there is a very small number of flower farmers in my area. My close proximity to Dublin, Ireland’s capital city with the largest population in Ireland, allows for a great scope for increasing sales and delivery. 

My business model is unique here as I can serve a number of different customers through both flowers and gifting. I can also serve the home gardener or fellow flower farmer through seeds, bulbs, and flower growing accessories. As Covid-19 restrictions lift, I hope to offer workshops and expand floral offerings with in-person events like pop-up shops and fairs.

What are you known for? Why and when do customers come to you?

My website is known for beautiful and thoughtful gifting. I love to gift wrap every order with kraft paper and string, which changes seasonally. Your order arrives wrapped regardless of you intend to gift it to someone else. I was inspired by the idea of Victorian shops where everything was carefully wrapped in the store. All my packaging can be recycled which is really important to my customers (and to me!). Plus, my stock is made up of both locally and Irish-made products as well as international brands. 

Our flowers are different from what can usually be found in local floral stores or grocery stores. The Irish homegrown flower scene is really emerging in the last few years, and it’s so exciting to see seasonal and local blooms available all around the country. I try to include something scented in every bouquet because I find scents truly magical—from scented narcissus to sweet peas and winter eucalyptus. I think they can ground us in the season! Customers come to me for gift bouquets and also to treat themselves with the gift of flowers.

What problem do you solve for your customers?

I solve gifting problems for customers.

If they are looking for something special—or maybe something a little different—they might find it on my website.

My customers know I truly appreciate every order and want someone to have that personal touch when they open a parcel! 

I would love to think that I can bring joy to people’s lives through flowers or something beautiful or fun they have bought from my website.