Future is rosy for mother and daughter after fantastic response to sustainable florist business
Business is blooming for mother and daughter Vanessa Sweeney and Heather Green after they started up one of the first sustainable florists in the West Midlands.
Winnie & Olive, in Kinver, will celebrate its first year of trading in September, and 24-year-old Heather says the response so far had been fantastic.
Unlike most florist shops, the business – named after Vanessa's two grandmothers – stocks only locally-sourced flowers and avoids the use of floral foam for displays or plastic packaging.
All the flowers in the shop are grown in the UK, with as many as possible sourced from around the West Midlands.
This obviously makes it more difficult for the shop to compete on price with the big chains, but Vanessa says it also gives her a unique selling point.
"We wanted to be a niche business, and I think a lot of people particularly want to support UK flower growers," she said.
"I think there are a couple of sustainable florists in London, but there aren't many of us."
