Kirstin Fabrizio grew up working on flower farms on the east end of Long Island. Years later, while taking care of her ill mother, she had an idea: what if flowers could be repurposed rather than thrown away? That was the light bulb that led to her company ReFlowering.
“I started to merge the two ideas of helping people in assisted living facilities and bringing a little joy into their lives, plus my love of flowers,” Fabrizio told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Based in Atlanta, ReFlowering recycles and repurposes lightly used flowers from events and donates them to nursing homes, veterans’ homes, and hospitals in the city. Founded in 2021, the company hopes to bring the joy of bouquets to those who need it the most — while keeping sustainability in mind.
Photo Courtesy ReFlowering
“I was lucky enough to grow up on the east end of Long Island, where we have a lot of family farms, and my high school and college job was working on the farm,” Fabrizio told Fox 5 Atlanta. “I would go out into the fields and do the cut flowers and bring them back to the barn and do the arrangements to sell at the farm stand.”
Photo Courtesy ReFlowering
The company relies on customers contacting them when they have an event with floral pieces that will only be used short-term. All flower donations are tax-deductible. ReFlowering can pick up the arrangements as well as vases, jars, and any flower accessories to be reused.
ReFlowering then cuts and rehydrates the flowers to create small, personal-sized arrangements that can easily be donated throughout the city.
In many cases, those second arrangements have healthy stems that bloom for a second or third time. Any unused portion of the bouquets that have not been exposed to pesticides is taken to be composted.
Photo Courtesy ReFlowering
It’s a great way to keep fresh flowers out of the trash and bring smiles to the recipient. One of Fabrizio’s biggest partners is Atlanta’s Bold Catering & Design, an event and catering company that makes flower arrangements for parties, corporate events, and weddings. The company is glad for the partnership, as it significantly reduces their waste.
“Sometimes the client takes flowers home, and then we bring back whatever doesn’t get taken,” Jennifer Burnett, Bold Catering & Design floral designer, said to Fox 5 Atlanta. “And we’ll take out the longer stems, the heartier flowers, and we’ll give them to Kristin.”
Photo Courtesy ReFlowering
“My first donation to Piedmont Hospital, they couldn’t stop hugging me,” Fabrizio added. “They were just so overjoyed to get the flowers and knowing that it’s really brightening someone’s day, especially some of the patients who really were struggling and maybe not having as many visitors or people sending them flowers there in the hospital.”
Companies or individuals hosting an event, florists who wish to donate flower arrangements or leftovers, and organizations who want to receive the re-flowered bouquets should contact ReFlowering via the company website.
