If you’re on Instagram, you would have noticed that the floristry industry is currently in overdrive. Dahlias and peonies are being forever immortalised and one could be forgiven for wondering if a new flower delivery service starts up every week.

The Fresh Flower Project’s point of difference is its ethos that less is more; less waste, less choice and less time between flower picking and delivery. When sisters Bree Watson and Shannon Usalj started their flower delivery service late last year, they were focused on creating a business that was friendly to the environment but still a treat for their customers.

Although wrapping bunches of flowers in hessian isn’t a new concept in floristry, the pair sources its hessian coffee bags from Specialty Coffee Roaster Toby’s Estate, offering a more sustainable approach to flower delivery.

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“We are always looking for new ways to improve our service. It was so great to have Toby’s Estate come on board, their coffee sacks are so beautiful,” says Watson. The roaster’s coffee sacks are stamped in the country of origin, range in texture and pattern and would normally end up in landfill.

“I don’t think people realise how much waste is associated with floristry,” Watson says. “An aim of ours was to cut down the materials we used, including simplifying the options for arrangements, otherwise we would end up throwing so much out.”

Instead of the paralysing options of a shopfront florist (and the waste associated with the unsold bouquets), the project offers just two arrangements at a time – a seasonal and weekly bunch – with the option of having one-off or regular deliveries. Watson says they go with their instincts when selecting what flowers will be featured each week, “We go off what’s in season and focus on flowers that aren’t typically found in traditional bouquets.”

The Fresh Flower Project donates one dollar from every regular-size arrangement (the standard size most frequently selected) to a pre-selected charity. The Black Dog Institute, an organisation that supports research into mood disorders, is the selected charity for 2015. “I think people want to feel good about the products they’re buying. This is just one of the ways we can help others.”

thefreshflowerproject.com.au/flowers-sydney