Growing a flower firm in a cold climate

Appassionata Flowers has weathered the tough times by rethinking how it does business

APPASSIONATA Flowers deals in “beautiful blooms and individual inspirations”. They arranged the flowers for the visits of Queen Elizabeth 11 and President Barack Obama and theirs are the delightful arrangements you can see any day in Dublin hotels such as The Shelbourne and Westbury or in Patrick Guillbaud’s restaurant.

That things are going well for the company is a testament to team work, a determined energy, talent and an abiding passion for flowers.

Things were good in the beginning too, in 2004 when the country was on the crest of an economic wave and Ruth Monahan and Ultan Devaney set up the company. Appassionata grew quickly and was doing nicely until the trough of 2008. The rough times which followed were a lively reminder to keep on their toes.

“We did what anyone who is still in business did,” Devaney says, with feeling. “We sat down with the entire staff, there were twenty of us at the time, and went through wage cuts, staff levels, everything. A few people who had intended leaving left. We’re down to twelve now. We restructured our buying, made it the responsibility of one person, Kasia Skopinska. Our flowers come from Holland, she knows the suppliers and being in sole charge means she can keep a tight rein. It’s made all the difference.”

Skopinska, from Poland, has been making a difference to Appassionata since she joined four years ago. All 12 employees (six of them florists) make a difference; everyone pulls together and a cooperative spirit is key. “Ours is an equal working environment where everyone has different roles,” Monahan says, “we consider ourselves a co-op.” Skopinska agrees. “From an employee point of view it’s a very unusual environment. The work is hard but everyone can say something and be heard. We enjoy it 100 per cent!”

Appassionata Flowers came about when Monahan turned her creative talent to flowers. She and Devaney had known each other long before that, however, as pupils at Sligo Grammar. They met again working together in TV production, stayed together when they left their jobs and went travelling. Monahan, in time, spent a year at McQueens Floristry School in London. She was back in Dublin doing market research for the course when she began to get work contracts. Appassionata Flowers was born.

In the beginning they ran the business from home. It grew quickly and they opened a shop on Londonbridge Road, Dublin, 4 where it went on growing, quickly. When they were contracted to do the flowers for the Shelbourne Hotel they moved again, this time to the Cumberland Street studio where we meet to talk.

It’s a large space, light-filled and cheerfully coloured in cerise, black and cream. Flowers, vases and watering cans apart, it is home to the company’s distinctive, electric-powered delivery van and to a working kitchen. There’s a relaxed, on-the-go mood. “We’re always busy,” Monahan says, “everyone goes like the clappers all day long. This is an early morning business; we start at 7am.”

Devaney says he looks after the “logistical, business side of things, Ruth and Kasia take care of the creative side. Our operations manager Magda is in charge of the complicated, day to day stuff. Our driving, delivery and loading guys are vital; putting flowers in place is part of their job too.”

Appassionata opened its eye-catching shop at 29 Drury Street in 2008. “The worst possible time,” Monahan says. “It was touch-and-go the first year but now the shop pays for itself. Along with the website it’s our window.”

The tough times happened over an 18 month period from 2008 to late 2009. “It was a learning curve,” Devaney says, “and like lots of businesses in Ireland we just tried to keep going. That period was the closest we came to losing the business.”

“We’re a luxury spend,” Monahan says, “flowers are one of the first things people cut back on.” And people did: phone call after phone call cancelled orders. “The shop helped us survive,” Devaney says, “so did the website and our corporate contracts. We continued to get weddings and event business. We’ve grown through word of mouth recommendations, and through return and online business. We use social media and put a lot of work into our website. Online ordering has increased.”

Their advice? “Do what you do really well. We put passion and creativity into what we do. We give people good value and top grade flowers and we’ve a great, great team. Everyone wants value for money these days and people who’re still in business are people who’ve adjusted. It’s becoming more like it used to be in Ireland with things more personal and well done.”

“We’re all about the flowers,” Monahan says, “about enhancing the environment, not taking it over. We’re very strong on detail, and finish. You don’t see a florist’s work. It’s all hidden, as if it’s magic.”

* See appassionata.ie