A PRODUCER of environmentally-friendly origami plant pots that are posted flat-packed in a 100% recycled card envelope and delivered free of charge is blossoming into a major business thanks to a six-figure deal with Europe’s leading online flower delivery company.
Launched three years ago, POTR’s self-watering origami plant pot has proved so popular that the company has now unveiled a new letterbox vase, launched exclusively with Bloom & Wild – and the deal is set to further boost growth.
Research and development for this new product was funded by the firm’s recent Scottish EDGE win when POTR was awarded £100,000, despite having initially asked for £50,000. The firm also won the Scottish EDGE Net Zero Award for its sustainable practices.
Company directors Andrew Flynn, a former Dyson engineer, and marketing expert Eilidh Cunningham, first contacted Bloom & Wild in 2021 and have spent 18 months working on concept designs, engineering, and production for the reusable folding vase.
Over 200 versions were created before reaching the final product. “Like all of our projects, this just started with simple, paper, origami prototypes,” explains Andrew. “This forces us to use as little material as possible, to make sure the product is as sustainable as it is beautiful and practical. “We worked together to create countless iterations of the product. We are proud of the result and delighted to be partnering with the incredible team at Bloom & Wild.”
Andrew added: “Often when people send flowers to friends, loved ones or colleagues, they might not know whether that person has the right-sized and shaped vase. Our flat-packed design ensures the recipient has a perfectly suited vase on arrival with their flowers – all with the convenience of a letterbox delivery.”
The patent-pending vase, which features a soft rim to help cushion flower stems from damage, pops open out of the box for simple assembly and is designed to fit a full bouquet of flowers, while holding a litre of water.
It is made from recycled polypropylene and high-grade silicone.
In what will be a busy year for the couple, Eilidh and Andrew are set to get married in May, all while expanding their team and undergoing major research and development into new products. Eilidh said: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but this feels like the start of a new phase and having access to so many new customers could be a game-changer. “Being rubber-stamped by Bloom & Wild gives us a huge seal of approval that there is demand for our approach to sustainable design. This has given us the confidence to open doors on a global scale.
“We are now targeting the USA and Japan – the home of POTR’s origami inspiration – where we’re currently speaking to potential retail partners about our range of self-watering pots and believe there is a real appetite for our products.”
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