In Full Bloom with The Beautiful Bunch

We’ve long admired the work of The Beautiful Bunch, a Melbourne-based, female-led social enterprise delivering joyful, seasonal bouquets with a powerful purpose. With each arrangement, they offer employment, training and community to women from refugee and migrant backgrounds, proving beauty can be a vehicle for change.

We recently sat down with Founder Jane and Brand Coordinator Carlie to talk about where it all began, the magic of colour and creativity, and what’s next for this blooming business. From floral philosophy to future dreams, here’s what they shared with us.

OBUS: Tell us the story behind The Beautiful Bunch. How did your idea blossom? 

JANE: Beautiful Bunch is my third social enterprise now. I’d lost a previous business of mine and this really came out of that.

I started during covid in a time that was really challenging for a lot of people. Something I was motivated to do was to bring joy and beauty into what felt like a really dark world and to continue to support young women who hadn't worked before and who needed the support now more than ever. We started with no money. I had $70 in the bank and not many resources at all. The Landlord didn't charge us rent all through COVID. And so we had a studio space, a beautiful space in Fitzroy North that was just waiting to be used and to be filled with beauty and people.

Having to let go of women for whom it was their first time working in Australia at the start of the pandemic really stuck with me. Throughout my pregnancy, and I kept them really at the forefront of my mind for the, you know, the months that I was forced to stay at home pregnant and quietly reflecting on what the next stage would look like. So I started the business in October of 2020 with my three-month-old baby and with three of the women who I had to let go of at the start of the pandemic. They built this business with me, very much, and I’m very grateful for all that they were able to do.

Not at all as it looks  now which is a really formal training program. We have lots to offer. We have a portfolio of businesses, but essentially how it started: just two products, a bunch, and a bigger bunch.

OBUS: OBUS is proudly female-led and community-minded, just like you. What has being a women-run small business taught you about leadership?

JANE: I think firstly being a woman in leadership, you're gonna have a harder time. The expectations not just from the public more broadly or a community but from your own team! Women are going to expect more than people expect of a man. There is just still in this day and age, it seems crazy to even be saying this, but not really too many reference points for what phenomenal female leadership looks like. I think we're still trying to figure that out. I would say something that I do hold true is that I am very much led by my values, which I've had a lot of time to reflect on. I've received a scholarship recently and really spent some time investing in that and knowing what my values are and trying to lead with those is really important.

I would say that I have also unapologetically feminine way of leading. Big feminine energy always in here. And I think it's taken me probably a little while to find my feet in that, but I'm very firm on how I lead. I'm confident in that. Like I said, I'm still learning, but I think I very much lead with my values and in an unapologetically feminine way.

OBUS: Social impact is at the heart of what you do. Can you tell us more about your work with women from refugee and migrant backgrounds. 

CARLIE: So being able to work with women from refugee and migrant backgrounds is such a privilege. I personally come from a background of floristry, whereas the rest of our team kind of caters to other needs the girls might need. The women in our program, they not only get to jump straight into floristry skills, but we also provide teachings on financial literacy and digital literacy as well. Our wonderful head of social impact, Rihanna, has done such an incredible job creating these online modules for the girls. They not only get to work physically on the bench with us and with their hands but they also get the independence that comes with being knowledgeable and being able to hold their own financially and also learning digital literacy which is a really vital skill to be an independent woman in Australia.

OBUS: What’s your floral philosophy? Do you follow trends, or go with what feels right?

Carlie: It's sustainability at the forefront. That's very much why things work here at The Beautiful Bunch, is that we all are here for the same reasons, and sustainability is a really big part of that, alongside, obviously, the training program with the women. And that kind of just feeds into, as a florist, my philosophy with floristry is to show off the unique beauty of every single stem and using it how nature intended. which  is how it should be, I feel. There's a skill to it to making it look effortless. And it's not as simple as putting something in a box.

OBUS: What’s your go-to tip for keeping flowers looking fresher, longer at home? We know our customers will be all ears!

Carlie: They just require so much love and care, honestly. I'd say it depends on the season because typically you're keeping flowers at home. If it's summer, you're gonna want to avoid the sunshine. They look beautiful in the sun but the sun is a flower's worst enemy, it quickens the process of aging of the flowers. And another thing would just be the heat that comes from the sun. So keeping them in the shade and changing the water every couple of days. That is also applicable to winter; when everyone's got their lovely warm heaters on at home, you want to keep your flowers away from the heater because then you're going to say bye-bye to those beautiful flowers way too quickly. So flowers love the cold, fresh water and a recut every couple of days.

OBUS: What’s next for The Beautiful Bunch? Any dreams in the works, new directions, or collaborations on the horizon?

Jane: Rooftop roses! So we want to grow our own roses. We don't have a space but we we're very fortunate to have received funding in December 2023 from a philanthropic organisation that came together to support social entrepreneurs and their big dreams are for creating a better planet that are really helping people on a larger scale. It was kind of like give us your big eye dreams, like BIG DREAMS, and we'll fund it! SO we received funding to do a year's research into what Australia's most environmentally friendly roads look like. We wrapped that up a little while ago now and we are pitching for further funds and trying to secure a space to grow our own roses.

OBUS: Is there anything you guys want our community to know?

Jane: I would just say that something that's really so many things that is beautiful about this business, but something that I never tire of seeing is how when people purchase from us, it has direct impact. We are a registered not-for-profit. We're a charity. So, people can support in a variety of ways. They can donate and we are so appreciative of that. But I think in terms of the core of what we do is we provide a floral delivery service and that funds our eight-month paid training program. And when people order flowers from us, it has a direct impact on the lives of young women. And that's something that I don't know if people really quite understand; just how important it is to think about where you're spending money and how choosing to support a social enterprise like us can really change someone's future.

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As The Beautiful Bunch continues to grow, so too does the impact of their work, spreading joy, opportunity and blooms across the community.

As part of our time together, we invited the team to style themselves in pieces from our Awaken Collection. A celebration of colour, comfort and self-expression. You can shop their picks and support their style, spirit and story. And now, with every OBUS order, you also have the option to add a donation at checkout. A simple gesture that helps The Beautiful Bunch continue their beautiful, life-changing work.