Originally known for delivering flowers by bicycle around London, Petalon is now a Cornwall-based company which harvests from its own regenerative farm. Based near the north Cornwall coastline, the company delivers bouquets via post around the UK.
The essence of Petalon lies in its commitment to delivering seasonal, unusual flowers and signature bouquets, a unique selling position that sets it apart in the competitive world of online flower delivery. However, what truly distinguishes Petalon is its dedication to sustainability, making it an easy choice for eco-conscious consumers.
‘We’re just trying to make it easier for everyone to feel like they have to make less effort to do the right thing,’ says owner Florence Kennedy. With a firm belief that businesses should prioritise environmental stewardship, Petalon embodies this ethos at its core.
As we step into the world of Petalon, the first thing that captures your attention is the diverse array of blooms that grace their signature bouquets. Typically, Florence offers two bouquets per week – one more flamboyant than the other to appeal to a spectrum of tastes. Florence’s passion for floristry and being able to access unusual species of flowers has a significant impact on the varieties of flowers available, with her preference being flora that isn’t always easy to come by.
‘There's no point in me growing yellow daffs because you can get a bunch for a pound,’ says Florence. ‘It’s about getting all the interesting varieties like the doubles and the ones with the split corona or the peachy ruffly ones and the white ones and all the really interesting stuff. We grow interesting varieties of flowers that are hard to get on the Dutch auction or that you wouldn't necessarily find in your supermarkets or in your high street florists and make that more accessible to people.’
In addition to supplying flowers that excite her as a florist, Florence envisioned Petalon as a response to the environmental challenges posed by the traditional flower industry. ‘We wanted to create something that not only celebrated the fleeting beauty of seasonal flowers but also addressed the environmental impact of the floral trade,’ she reveals. ‘Petalon is our way of showing that exquisite bouquets can coexist harmoniously with sustainability.’
When I ask Florence how Petalon works to reduce its impact on the environment, she explains that each bouquet is elegantly hand-tied with compostable twine and wrapped in hessian, showcasing a commitment to reducing the environmental impact of floral gifting. Sustainability also plays a key role in the way that Petalon grows and harvests their flowers through regenerative farming practices. ‘We don't use any harsh chemicals and we don’t use pesticides,’ says Florence. ‘My husband fertilises everything with seaweed and we also don’t use artificial heat, except for germinating.’ Florence also avoids single-use plastics and artificial lighting and has recently been working with experts from Heligan to try and improve farming practices further.
Because organic seeds of unusual varieties of flowers are hard to come by, Florence explains that ‘I don’t think we will become organic certified’. However, Petalon does carry out organic farming practices. They are also the first florist in Europe to become B-Corp certified – a recognition of Petalon’s high environmental and social standards.
In addition to using sustainable farming practices and materials, Petalon donates 100% of profits to environmental charities. ‘We do a lot of afforestation stuff with Nicaragua and pick a new, different Cornish charity every year.’ Last year they donated to the Cornwall Seal Sanctuary, a charity which helps rehabilitate injured seal pups.
Despite its green ethos, Petalon faces challenges, particularly during the winter months when flower imports are necessary to sustain operations. Florence remains transparent about this reality, striving to balance sustainability with year-round employment opportunities. ‘I don’t want to be the type of employer that has to let everyone go at the end of the season and I'd much rather be able to offer careers to people,’ she explains. ‘Using imported flowers isn't the most environmentally friendly thing you can do so we try to offset that in as many ways as possible.’
When I ask Florence what the other challenges are, she reveals that running a regenerative farm is still very much a learning process. ‘I'm such a perfectionist that when a crop fails or something doesn't work that I've planned it's very hard not to take it personally… The challenges have been amazing but very humbling,’ she smiles.
Despite these hurdles it is clear that Florence and her husband James are embracing life on the farm to the fullest. Their love for plants and the environment extends to a ‘motley crew’ of animals they provide a home to. ‘We take in waifs and strays of animals that we hear are on death row,’ she says. Now they have dozens of animals living on their land, including pigs and sheep no longer wanted by breeders because of undesirable genetic traits. Beyond this, Florence and James dedicate several fields that they rent to local wildlife and to give the land a break from more intensive farming. ‘We grow in a couple of fields, we have animals in another and now we have agroforestry going on in three of the big fields,’ says Florence. ‘We’re reseeding a lot of them with herbal leys to improve the soil structure which then helps to isolate more carbon.’
Each aspect of Florence’s business and the way they manage the land plays a role in reducing the carbon footprint associated with long-haul flower transportation. ‘The focus is to see how we can have a positive impact in a countryside setting,’ she explains. petalon.co.uk
