Rooted in Roses: How a Childhood in a Kenyan Flower Farm Led Into a Career

If someone had told me I would one day write an article about myself in a well-recognized floral magazine, I would never have believed them.

My story begins in a small town in Kenya called Nanyuki. My mum worked on a farm, and for a long time, I always called it home rather than my mother's workplace. I lost my dad at the age of three, and around that time, the owners of Tambuzi Farm took us in to live in the staff quarters, as my mum worked for them as their house manager. I'm the lastborn in a family of two, and my sister Betty loved the place just as much as I did. She could never stop boasting about how amazing it was to live on a flower farm, taking walks through the greenhouses, and growing up alongside Tim Hobbs and Maggie's children (Madeleine Hobbs, Hamish Hobbs, and Edith Hobbs) like they were our own siblings.

They took us in as family, quite literally. They put us through school, took us on trips, and made sure everything about Tambuzi felt like it belonged to us, too. I remember, a few years in, realizing I'd picked up a British accent so naturally that people at school and in my extended family would just stare, wondering how I'd changed so fast.

Growing Up Among Fragrant Roses

If you've ever met Maggie Hobbs, you know she's attentive and exacting when it comes to people's well-being. I have her to thank for how well I did in school, and even for getting into the university of my dreams, where I studied communication and media. All the while, I'd sneak off to the grading house during school holidays, trying to figure out how to make perfume from Tambuzi roses.

Tambuzi grows roses with an extraordinary range of scents, and that fascinated me. I'd help my mum arrange vases every morning whenever Maggie's house needed fresh flowers. By the time I was young, I already knew what "fillers" were and how to pair them with different rose varieties, just from watching my mum work. Whenever friends or family visited, I couldn't wait to walk them through the greenhouses, knowing full well this was an experience they'd never forget. By the age of ten, I could name a rose variety and its scent just by glancing at it from a distance. I had no idea then that this was the beginning of something far bigger in my life.

Returning Home to Find My Calling

After building some experience in media and storytelling in Nairobi, COVID happened, and I found myself back home in Nanyuki. That's when I got the opportunity to work at Tambuzi Farm as their product assessment and marketing assistant, and it became my true entry point into the horticulture industry. I met breeders, deepened my knowledge of flowers, and began to understand just how far-reaching the horticulture world really is. I learned how Tambuzi's garden roses carve out such a unique niche in the industry. Did you know Tambuzi is one of the best farms in the world growing scented roses, and the only one in Africa growing David Austin roses? Now you do.

Over time, my love for flowers only grew, especially as I heard the compliments pouring in from people all over the world. One of my favorite parts of the job was introducing new varieties to the market. I'd track every new variety brought into the trial area, watching and waiting until it was time to pluck a few stems, vase them, and study their performance: vase life, scent scale, and the works. Eventually, I'd share samples with breeders and growers like Rosehip & Bloom, Parfum Flower Company, and David Austin. There's something quite remarkable about watching a rose make its way into the market.

Representing Kenya's Floral Industry

I also had the chance to meet farmers, florists, and growers from around the world, representing Tambuzi at IFTEX, where I was involved in creative ideation, sales, and presenting our exhibition booths.

Flowers have been part of me ever since. To this day, my favorite roses are Lady Killer and Prince Jardiner. Lady Killer, for its scent and its deep, velvety red texture. Prince Jardiner, for its pale pink hue, generous bud size, and high scent scale. Something about them brings a healing energy into a room, a kind of mood lift, once they're vased in the house.

Coming Full Circle

A few months ago, a friend shared an opening at Thursd that matched my qualifications almost perfectly. At first, I didn't think I stood a chance. This is Thursd, after all, a name that carries real weight in the horticulture world, recognized globally. I remember finding out applications were technically closed, but I applied anyway.

Would you guess where that took me? You guessed right; I'm now part of the team, sharing this as my very first blog as their content editor.

If you'd told my younger self that one day my journey would be read by people around the world, I wouldn't have believed you. But life has a beautiful way of blooming when you stay rooted in your passion. Here's to embracing the journey, celebrating where it all started, and looking forward to everything still to come.