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Fresh Blooms
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MY BUSINESS: We profile enterprises run by UVic alumni.
UVic grad Parker Atkins uses his tech skills to grow his sustainable subscription flower enterprise.
UVic grad PARKER ATKINS and his sister and co-founder, Tess Atkins.
COURTESY OF BEAR'S BLOOMS
Name: PARKER ATKINS, co-founder/Chief Technology Officer.
UVic degree: Bachelor of Software Engineering in 2017.
My business: Bear’s Blooms.
Where it’s located: Vancouver, BC.
What we do: Bear’s Blooms is an e-commerce flower subscription business. We’re like a mealkit but for flowers. We built a completely custom tech platform that gives our customers full flexibility over their schedule so they can have fresh, local blooms delivered whenever they like.
Why we’re unique: We’re on a mission to change the way people buy flowers. We ship buds, not blooms, so our flowers consistently last two weeks. We use 95 per cent local flowers, even in the winter, to support BC’s amazing farmers. And we buy exactly to order each week so we cut out 90 per cent of the waste associated with traditional brick-and-mortar florists. We even collect and reuse our boxes to extend the life of our packaging.
A Signature Bouquet.
COURTESY OF BEAR’S BLOOMS
The story: Parker and his sister, Tess Atkins, co-founder and CEO, had dreamed of starting a family business together since they were small. Their mother’s love of flowers fueled the dream of a floral business. The team also delivers in Victoria, with parents and UVic law alumni ANDREW ATKINS, LLB ’85, and COLLEEN CATTELL, BA ’82, LLB ’85, sometimes pitching in.
Our ideal customer is: Any and all flower lovers.
I wasn’t expecting… To discover that Vancouver has the second largest Dutch-style flower auction in North America.
We’ll know we’re successful when: We deliver across Canada.
Where to find us: bearsblooms.com
Bottom line: We’re the best new way to buy flowers: local, sustainable and beautiful! T
