A Cheshire-based husband and wife have launched a family house plant business during lockdown, selling over 150 plants in their first month to customers in and around Cheshire and South Manchester.

Kat and Paul Reynolds launched Three Little Leaves in August. The idea for the business grew when Kat spotted a gap in the market after searching for a number of house plants during lockdown and being unable to find them. With Kat’s experience in marketing and PR, and Paul’s experience in banking, finance and business, the couple began to develop a supplier network and self-funded the initial investment into stock and collateral.

Threelittleleaves.co.uk offers a wide selection of sustainably grown houseplants and a range of locally made plant pots, illustrations and gifts. The pair have built relationships with a number of independent artists and local businesses, stocking their work as part of their offering. All items are delivered within a 25-mile radius of their home in Lymm, with free delivery on orders over £20.

Every element of the business is managed by the couple, from photography and design, to hand-written care guides and plant delivery. Their ambition is to establish a loyal consumer and business customer base across the North West, and in time introduce a number of monthly plant subscriptions and extend their supplier network, to create a site that champions independent artists and makers. In addition, the pair want to consult and advise local businesses who may be looking to green their workspace, whether it’s ordering a few plants for their desks and home offices, or larger corporates looking to transform their office environment.

Kat said: “Lockdown created a period of anxiety for so many, myself included – I was hoping to buy a few plants to brighten up the house and essentially cheer myself up. After a lot of research, I couldn’t find quite a few of the plants I was looking for, which is where the idea really grew from. We spent several months doing our research and used our own savings to invest in stock. It was quite a nervous few weeks when we first launched the site but we’ve been absolutely blown away by the response.

“This is very much a family business, even our daughter has got involved in the social media and at a local market we attended – we want to get to know our customers and for them to know us to build a community. We don’t want to be a faceless entity, we want our personality to come through in every aspect of the business, which is why we hand write the care guides and do all the packaging and deliveries ourselves.”

Paul added: “When we were developing the concept for Three Little Leaves, we did consider launching regionally and then rolling out nationally once we’d established ourselves. Upon reflection, we decided we want to stay within the North West. Delivering nationally will have a much bigger carbon footprint and there are a lot of brilliant house plant businesses already doing a great job. We’re going to focus on creating a reputation regionally, developing the brand and offering, and hopefully becoming a go-to for those who want to order their house plants online.

“There is a lot of research to suggest the benefits of having plants in the workspace, from reducing stress levels, absences and sickness to improving air quality, increasing productivity, creativity and having a general positive impact on colleagues’ mental wellbeing. As part of our growth strategy, we’re hoping to develop relationships within the SME and corporate market and offer a bespoke service to cater for their requirements, big or small.”

www.threelittleleaves.co.uk

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