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Britta Schellenberg
Brand Builder | Plant Lover | Community focused | Sustainability
Britta Schellenberg is the Chief Flower Officer (CFO) at Pryjma Petals, a company specializing in floral arrangements. With over 20 years of experience in startups, she has developed a strong background in business management and marketing. Schellenberg holds a degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and has previously held significant roles, including Vice President of Marketing at Robin and Director of Customer Experience at other companies.1
At Pryjma Petals, she has been instrumental in expanding the business, recently celebrating the opening of a second flower stand at a popular roadside eatery, showcasing her commitment to growth and community engagement.2 Her extensive experience in various sectors positions her as a valuable leader in the floral industry.
Highlights
I made this today for a client.
In other news, we brought in 1.5x in sales for July over June this year and grew 4x over last year in total sales. Still hoping this will grow to closer to 10x by end of season.
September and October will be our biggest revenue month. Through word of mouth we are booking a bunch of smaller events and continue to grow through innovative initiatives like our Sip & Snip event - a two hour event that features local wine and cheeses, a farm tour, a short lesson on organic soil and the opportunity for people to walk our dahlia fields and create their own bouquets.
Finally, I bought a ton of seeds for next year, created a grow calendar, a garden layout plan and Luke is clearing more space for a large garden expansion. I am also getting a walk in cold room for 2025. 💪🏻🌱
Let's talk $$!
Flowers can be expensive or relatively cheap. Why?
Let's take Trader Joe's. You can get a lovely bouquet of fresh flowers for under $10. Why? because Trader Joe's is willing to take a loss on its flowers to get people into the door. They know that whatever they lose on flowers, they make up 2x or 3x (I don't know the exact stats) on food purchases.
Now, when you go to a grower or florist and order a bouquet, here is how the price is usually calculated:
Sum of wholesale flower cost + vessel (vase, ribbons, etc) PLUS 200-500% for retail rate of the above PLUS 15-30% of all of the above for labor PLUS some $$ (and this can range widely) marketing and overhead or delivery or set up
Is this worth it? Resoundingly, yes, and not because I am a grower, but because everyone deserves to get paid fairly. So, next time you are at Trader Joe's about to get some flowers, look up your nearest independently owned florist or grower and support them. They are worth it.
