It all started with an impromptu bouquet-making class given to Manuel as a present – and to serve as a bit of a distraction while her mother was in hospital with stage three breast cancer. “My partner got me a flower workshop just to get my creativity flowing, be more in touch with nature, and have a little bit of a break mentally,” says Angel Manuel, founder of florist and online delivery service Amazing Graze Flowers.
“I gave the flowers that I had made to my mum and in that moment, it just clicked,” she says. “I thought, instead of being unhappy, sad and feeling victimised thinking ‘Why has this happened to us?’, why don’t we flip the narrative and instead be a vessel of making someone else happy?”
In December 2018, Manuel and her partner founded Amazing Graze, opening a bricks-and-mortar florist in Essendon. Since it opened, Manuel’s time is dedicated to crafting bouquets and delivering “positive thoughts and messages to make someone else’s day”.
“I really thought it would be more of a niche little shop that we could just get lost in while customers would walk in from the street and we would make unique bouquets,” says Manuel. But as with many businesses, the arrival of Covid meant the couple had to switch gears and change their business plan, with the store pivoting to delivery only. “Our little shop actually turned into a circus of fixed florists working on top of each other and drivers coming through,” she says.
Originally delivering blooms just across Melbourne, Geelong, Sunbury and the Mornington Peninsula, Amazing Graze has now grown to service Sydney and, as of this year, Brisbane. According to Manuel, Adelaide is up next.
The retail and online florist conjures up thoughtfully crafted florals for all kinds of occasions, from birthdays and anniversaries to baby showers, weddings and corporate events. Three guiding questions form the basis for all arrangements. “Number one is asking what the occasion is. Second, what’s their personality? Are they bright and cheerful? Are they pastel? And third is budget,” says Manuel.
From here, the team of trained florists get to creating. Amazing Graze also offers a “trust us” option, which gives the crew free reign to style and design as they please, relying on years of experience and creativity to guide them.
“Eighty per cent of our orders are last-minute birthdays delivered on the day and so a lot of people think ‘What else can I get with the flowers?’” says Manuel. To complement its bouquets, Amazing Graze curates gift boxes – offering artisan-made cookies, candles, Seven Seeds coffee, bottles of Chandon and Veuve Clicquot champagne, teddy bears and more – to add on.
After all this time, Amazing Graze remains a family affair. Manuel’s mum also works in the team, handling much of the business’s customer service. “I love seeing her as a boss mum,” Manuel says. “It’s really funny how things have worked out because this is what we wanted – to have a business and be working and blooming together.”
