23/06/2022
Ruby Mae Flower Company is coming to an end! I want to say thank you to everyone who let us beautify their weddings and events - it was truly such a pleasure getting to serve and connect with you.
If you want to know a little bit more about the “why”, read on!
Did you know that commercially grown flowers are not monitored for pesticide use? That means that the 400 pesticides that are FDA regulated for agriculture (i.e. the food that we eat in the US) are just the beginning! Yikes. Did you know your skin is the largest organ of your body and it absorbs whatever you put on it?
I had a general idea of the toxicity of commercial flowers when RMFC began and leaned heavily on local, farm fresh flowers; however, there were many occasions where greenery was not locally available or flowers were completely out of season, so wholesale flowers from commercial farms it was! After processing these flowers, my body would not respond well and it left me curious as to what I was really doing to my body. The research commenced.
According to research done for the National Library of Medicine, “The exposure of florists appeared to be an example of a unique professional situation in which workers are exposed regularly to both a very high number of toxic chemicals and rather high concentration levels. […] In Italy, early-stage cancers have been observed in 60 percent of long-term workers in the floriculture industry. Around the world, genetic damage has been reported in more than 71 percent of cut flower growers.”
One thing I just will not sacrifice for my career is my present or future health - not to mention supporting an industry that clearly does not care for the farmers/workers that provide the flowers enough to consider reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides in growing. At this time, I cannot personally claim to be a company that cares for people and the environment while utilizing commercially grown flowers - and cannot make ends meet, let alone grow, just working with the seasons.
While there is sadness in this decision, I am bolstered by the memory of my grandmother, RMFC’s namesake, who did whatever she pleased and whatever was good and right. Fresh, local, and clean flowers will always find their way back into my grip, but for now, it will simply be for the delight of it and nothing more. Maybe we’ll circle back in the future if there is a sustainable way, who’s to say?!
All that being said, there are SO MANY fantastic florists who are incredibly successful and have wonderful hearts. Find those florists, listen to their input, and be brave in asking for local sourcing with zero pesticide use!
