IT started as a hobby and now it is a successful business.
For Ana Sophia Randio the love of planting flowers was something she believes she inherited from her mother.
Little did she know that one day, the love for flowers would turn that hobby into a successful business.
And everything is done at home in what she calls her Garden of Eden.
“My love for flowers started when I was still a child,” said the 48-year-old florist who hails from Kadavu.
“My mother used to plant and sell little flower arrangements when we were living in Naulu Village. So I always had this love for flowers.
“Even when I got married and my husband and I moved to Davuilevu, I carried on the same passion. I was planting flowers to make my house look beautiful, when one particular day a lady stopped her vehicle and asked me to sell her some flowers.
“That was the day I realised the power these flowers had. She gave me $50 for a handful of roses.”
Mrs Randio grows a range of flowers which include orchids, bougainvillea, roses, cactus, aloe vera, anthuriums, euphorbias and more.
“Four years ago I registered my business Sophia’s Eden Florist Enterprise and have never looked back,” she said.
“I also joined the Fiji Horticulturist Association and whenever there is a flower show, I take my plants there.
“This is where I also update myself with new techniques and the use of right fertilisers.
“In November, I will be taking a trip to New Zealand with the association and hopefully come back with some interesting knowledge.”
Every Saturday, Mrs Randio sells her selected flowers on the roadside outside Tebara Plaza in Nakasi.
“I am able to make up to $500 every Saturday with the sale of flower plants only. It is not that I need the money but it keeps me busy and at the same time I am able to make some money,” she said.
“I think there are plenty opportunities for people who want to turn their hobbies into businesses. I love my flowers and therefore, I love my business.”
Mrs Randio has expanded from flowers and pot plants into specialised flower arrangements for weddings, birthdays and funerals.
One thing is for sure, this woman loves her flowers.
So much so, her back and front yards are nothing but flowers.
She says it is her love for flowers that keeps her going and she will keep nurturing her Garden of Eden as long as the Lord lets her.
