Welcome to the Bunches Blog!

To celebrate the arrival of summer we've developed a range of new bouquets that reflect the colours and joys of the summer season. Aga, our wonderful bouquet designer has once again done a fantastic job developing a range of bouquets, that not only look beautiful on arrival but also last a long time in the vase.

We always have a challenge when creating new bouquets, as we have to consider so many more factors than a traditional florist shop. We design our bouquets with flowers that we know will last, having tested different varieties for 20 years and we only use flowers that we know, through our experience, will travel well in our made-to-measure gift boxes. Our flowers have to deliver the 'wow' factor on arrival, truly delighting the recipient but they also need to last, looking lovely well beyond the occasion they were delivered for. So, bouquet design for Bunches is never as simple as, "that's a pretty flower, let's sell it"- we always have to think about all the different factors to ensure that you, our lovely customers can be confident that you're sending a bouquet, that will delight and last. So, Aga really has done a fabulous job in creating our new Summer range, all the bouquets have been tried and tested and have proved themselves to be worthy of joining the Bunches range!

Bunches is helping to fund a Links International initiative helping Colombian children at risk through poverty, neglect or abuse. They have worked with them and come up with creative solutions for two key issues – nutrition and sustainable income.

The project is situated on a farm in Bogota which has a small lake currently used to collect rainwater for harvesting and irrigation. Government permission has been granted to convert the lake into a fish farm and to run a hen-breeding programme.

You can read more about this project here.

Bunches is working with Michael Singini and his wife Emily who are investing all their earnings and savings into a project to build a clinic to provide basic health services to residents of the town of Mbuzi Mzumala in Malawi. The clinic will save many lives including those of children who die of malaria. The clinic should be up and running by January 2010 in readiness for the rainy season when diseases are at their worst. The clinic will ultimately be self sustaining by income from a maize mill, a grocery shop, a butcher’s shop and sales of agricultural products.

You can keep up with the progress of this project as well as other charitable work undertaken by Bunches on our charity page.

We can now accept payment by PayPal on our website. Many of you have requested PayPal as a payment option on our feedback forms and we are delighted to announce this has now been set up. Simply proceed to the payment section as normal but choose the PayPal option when asked to choose which card you wish to make payment by.

We always read the customer feedback forms that are available after placing an order so if you ever have any suggestions, ideas or comments to make about service please let us know.

Our Production Supervisor Julie has been working at Bunches for 12 years and we thought you'd like to know a little about her role and how she ensures all our customers get the very best quality blooms:

Why do you like working at Bunches?
I really enjoy coming to work because the atmosphere is so friendly. I'm really proud to be part of a business that delivers beautiful products that make people smile.

How do you ensure the quality of flowers?
You'll be amazed to know that every bloom we send out is actually quality checked individually four times! Before our flowers arrive with us, they are quality checked to ensure that they are strong, fresh and vibrant. Once they arrive, they are quality checked again to ensure they are not too tired after their journey. When an order is being prepared, all stems are checked twice by the Bunches team to ensure that only the best blooms are selected. We store all our flowers in large fridges to keep them fresh and where possible we send our flowers out in bud so they last longer in the recipients' home.

How do you ensure the flowers are not damaged in transit?
All our boxes are designed to ensure our flowers are kept in tip top condition. They are packed in a strong box with an insert inside to make sure they don't get knocked around. What's more, any bouquets with thirsty flowers in them are inserted in a magic water cube, so they can have a drink on their journey and arrive nice and fresh. The magic cube is so clever, it ensures only the flowers get a drink and not the box, even if there is some rough and tumble on the journey.

Why are some of the flowers sent in bud?
We send some of our flowers in bud so that they come into full bloom when they arrive at the recipients' home and can be enjoyed for longer. After all, the box doesn't admire the beauty of the flowers, it just keeps them safe on their journey.

What's the best thing about Bunches?
Well where do I start! The team here is so dedicated and passionate. We've all got the same goal, to send out beautiful flowers that make people smile. I can't think of anything better that being part of making someone's day!