It's exactly one year ago now that we brought Flory to life in Saudi Arabia. And with Mother's Day coming up, it seems like the perfect time to reflect.
What is Flory?
Flory is an innovative floral brand based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Launched by Massimo Quaranta, managing director, under the umbrella of Mohammed Abdallah Sharbatly Co. Ltd. in March 2024, Flory aims to revolutionize the floral industry in the region by providing fresh, long-lasting flowers and encouraging customers to 'unleash their inner florist' through DIY arrangements.
Key Aspects of Flory:
- Product offering: Flory offers a wide range of fresh flowers, including luxury bouquets like its 50-stem red roses. Customers can create personalized floral arrangements.
- Mission: The brand seeks to democratize access to fresh and diverse flowers, transform the floral scene in Saudi Arabia, and enhance the way flowers are integrated into daily life.
- Launch event: The brand's launch event was held at the historic Sharbatly House in Jeddah's Al-Balad district from March 20 to 22, 2024. The event transformed the space into a floral showcase, highlighting.
- Both global and local flora.
Flory's main operations are based in Jeddah, but their products are available for delivery in Riyadh and other regions through their online platform. Flory represents a modern approach to floristry in Saudi Arabia, blending traditional appreciation for flowers with contemporary trends and customer engagement.
What I Love Most
Tom de Houwer, one of the most talented floral friends I have, asked me once what I liked to do most. That's not a simple question, because my love for flowers has brought me A LOT!! I started as a florist almost thirty years ago and opened a brick-and-mortar shop, but only when I started to connect with the floral industry years later, my life became fun every day. The story behind flowers, the passion breeders have, and the hard work that growers do to get the most beautiful product, are what make our profession as a floral designer so interesting. And that's exactly what Thursd and myThursd are about: to help, to connect, to inspire, to promote florists, floral e-commerce businesses, wholesalers, growers, breeders, and traders. And even export companies.
So last year was a year with golden moments for sure. The combination of working with flowers, doing what I love, and creating win-wins by doing that is so rewarding. And traveling to all those places to make it happen, I feel blessed. One of those places was Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. After meeting Massimo Quaranta at IFTEX in Kenya, introduced to each other by Mohan Choudhary from the Black Tulip Group, I was amazed by what he wanted to achieve in Saudi Arabia. Besides managing a successful fruit-and-vegetable business, Sharbatly Fruits, Massimo wanted to introduce flowers to their consumers. And so we stayed in touch.
I Love to Talk to Floral Passionates
Every talk I had in my life about flowers, always led to something better, something bigger, or something new, or another connection, or a wider view, anyway, I love to talk to floral soulmates. To brainstorm, and to come up with ideas, work on them, and make it happen. So if I encounter something that is good for me, and my soul, and it feeds Regine Motmans as a person, it's a win-win. That's what keeps me going, and what thrives Thursd. So Massimo and I came up with the idea to organize an event for florists and have visitors on invite-only, it seemed like the perfect chance for Thursd and myThursd to be present in the Middle East. And to help breeders and growers get visibility there.
Flory – How the New Brand Came to Life
After buying a too-expensive bouquet that wasn't even good quality, Massimo Quaranta wanted to be one of the people changing the scenery of the floral industry in Saudi Arabia. Massimo believed that fresh flowers could become a routine element in the daily lives of many within the country with just a bit of education. So, he started to buy as well local flowers as flowers from the Netherlands. The customers of Sharbatly, happily include one or more bunches of flowers in their weekly order. But to be able to gift something, it needs a little bit more: flowers need to be processed, cleaned, and cut, and maybe even a vase to go along. That is Flory, ready to design, to gift. For a year now, Flory has been a brand that's getting out there, and people gift flowers, to others, and create something for themselves. The elegant premade bouquets are being loved. Flory has covered two big cities now, Jeddah and Riyadh. In Arabic, Riyad (رياض) means "gardens" or "meadows", making it a perfect fit for flowers.
Launch of Flory in the Old Heritage Sharbatly House
After arriving and visiting the company of Sharbatly, I went to visit the old heritage Sharbatly House. Wauw, I was impressed. The Sharbatly House (Beit Sharbatly) is a historic heritage house in Al-Balad, the old town of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most iconic and well-preserved examples of Hijazi architecture, characterized by intricate wooden balconies (Rawasheen), coral stone walls, and beautiful latticework.
Key Facts About Sharbatly House:
- It was built in the early 20th century and belonged to the prominent Sharbatly family, who were influential merchants.
- The house showcases traditional Jeddah architecture, using coral stone and wood to create a natural cooling effect.
- It is located in the UNESCO-listed old town of Jeddah, which is known for its historic homes, souks, and cultural significance.
- Today, the house serves as a cultural landmark and has been used for various exhibitions, events, and heritage preservation initiatives.
The old city of Jeddah was amazing. A look from above in one of the old buildings and a few hours later, I was checking in my hotel room how many flowers we would be able to have on display. Showing the visitors a wide assortment of flowers was important, but it also showed them the quality and possibilities. I'm blessed with many talents, and as a floral designer, I could give interactive workshops to teach visitors how to make a simple bouquet, or how to combine flowers and colors. Interest in as well this huge assortment of flowers and the many varieties they didn't know yet, floral designers were taking these masterclasses with great pleasure. And it became clear to me that the women in Jeddah had many talents that were hidden from the world and ready to be out there.
Flowers From Floral Friends
With the connections that I have all over the globe, I try to create as many win-wins as possible. For a grower or a breeder to show their flowers in an event like this, is good for them and it helps me to tell the story about flowers and what they can mean in your life. Flowers make you happy, they bring us closer to nature, they have an economical task, and they bring biodiversity to the world. So I got the possibility to show the most beautiful flowers in one of the most special places I have been in my life: Sharbatly House in the old town of Jeddah.
After processing all the flowers from growers Marginpar, Black Tulip Flowers, Blooming Innovations, Vannova, Red Land Roses, Karen Roses, and Bellissima, breeders De Ruiter Innovations, and United Selections, and with the awesome help of SQ Flora, creating a concept store for Flory, became a pleasure. Here's a gallery of what the concept store was all about.
Thursd Is Your Go-to Platform for the Floral Industry
Arnold Wittkamp, Founder & Chief Futurist at Thursd also came to Jeddah to meet Massimo, to talk about the industry, and to think of ideas on how to include Thursd partners in new initiatives for the future.
Arnold:
"I'm thrilled to hear Flory is a success. Supported by the foundation of Sharbatly's fruits and vegetables, this venture represented a unique chance to foster a new appreciation for flowers, beginning with 'the magic of the flower'. Regine's passion for floriculture, deep industry knowledge, creativity, expertise, and dedication to design and storytelling and the strong go-to platform Thursd has become for growers, breeders, florists, and floral enthusiasts worldwide, make this collaboration so powerful. Awesome to see a year later how it's growing and that varieties of our partners became part of the assortment they offer."
If you are looking for inspiration, insight, or collaboration in the floral industry, I'm happy to listen to your ideas, and connect you to the right people, organize the perfect event, inspire you with new trends, develop marketing campaigns, or whatever you need at the moment. Don't hesitate and contact me: at regine@thursd.com.
Header image Regine Motmans en Abdulaziz Alnoman.
