via UrbanStems
We’ve all been there. It’s your mom’s birthday, the best friend got a promotion, a simple just-because, or it’s a holiday. The most common response to any of these situations is to send flowers. You jump through the hoops with some commercial flower company, you’re not really sure what the bouquet will end up looking like, and more than likely it’s going to be delivered in a box.
Say hello to UrbanStems, the new DC startup that is changing the way flower deliveries operate, for the better. Jeff Sheely and Ajay Kori had talked about starting a business together since their days at Duke University. While Jeff has been in DC for the past 8 years, Ajay moved from NYC 6 months ago so the two could finally pursue their dream. “There are a lot of things you don’t realize until you quit your job and stop getting a pay check,” Ajay explained.
So why UrbanStems? “You mean, why are we two guys starting a flower company?” Ajay asked with a chuckle. Experienced with long distance dating, Ajay explained he always found the process of sending flowers underwhelming and overpriced. He went on to explain that as he and Jeff began investigating the flower industry, it was obvious why this is the case. There are so many different players, with everyone taking a cut and losing things in translation.
UrbanStems aims to streamline the entire process with the ultimate cherry on top: on demand service. Meaning, you can place an order and have a beautiful, fresh bouquet delivered within an hour. “What we really want to be,” Jeff explained, “is the uber expectation. Our goal is to be able to make it as easy as possible; just a couple of clicks to do something for someone else and have it done instantly.”
Ajay and Jeff targeted the main complaint within the flower delivery industry, being that the flowers just don’t last long, and worked backwards. Through rigorous testing, aka buying a whole lot of flowers, they discovered flowers from the mountains of Colombia and Ecuador last the longest. “When sourcing flowers abroad, we wanted to find places that treat their workers right,” stated Ajay. “The companies we work with are 90% women and provide substantial wages which allow the employees to provide for their household.”
So how exactly does it work? You visit urbanstems.com, complete 4 easy steps all on one page, and voilà! It’s that simple. There will always be three different bouquets to choose from, ranging from a standard rose assortment to more seasonal arrangements. UrbanStems has teamed up with another DC startup, Urban Deliveries to deliver the bouquets via bike messengers, unless other means are necessary.
via UrbanStems
Currently, UrbanStems is only making deliveries to recipients in the District, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.However, the guys are already looking ahead. They are exploring the options of Saturday deliveries (at no extra cost) and late night deliveries during the first weekend of every month (hello midnight romance!) And even further down the road, “In 2 years you can be in any major city, pull out your smart phone and make someone smile in under an hour,” Ajay confidently stated. The official launch was this past Monday, but the guys made some test deliveries themselves last week. “It’s been a joy for us just to see the look on someone’s face when they get these flowers,” explained Jeff. “Even the secretaries and securities guards faces lit up.”
Which led the guys to do something a little special this Valentine’s Day. For every delivery on Friday, they are going to be giving a single stem rose to any secretary or security guard they encounter. In fact, UrbanStems wants to ensure no one is disappointed this Valentine’s Day. “If your Valentine’s Day delivery goes wrong, we will send a delivery to fix it for you. We’ll fix their problems for free.” How awesome is that?! Head over to their page if you need UrbanStems to come to your Valentine’s Day rescue!
And as always, “When life hands you lemons, do something nice for someone else (everyone knows karma is immune to citric acid!)”
By
Featured Image Courtesy of UrbanStems
