“After 25 years of working in PR in the City, I desired a change,” says Donna Zurcher, founder of Mezu Silk Flowers. Passionate about flowers and wanting to enjoy their natural colour and beauty throughout the year she established Mezu Silk Flowers so that she could personally source – and subsequently supply - silk flowers that are some of the most realistic that can be found in the marketplace today.

Five years later and Mezu’s blooms are today widely sought after and have been featured numerous theatrical and film productions such as ITV’s “Mr Selfridge” and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”. 

The day to day business however is very much geared to working with independent garden centres and florists as well as gift shops, wedding and event planners, exclusive product launches and interior designers.

With a background in retail and design, product quality, customer service and value for money have been the three elements driving the business forward.  

“One of the most difficult elements in establishing the business was finding the quality of product that I would be proud to sell”, says Donna.   

The sourcing of silk flowers is undertaken by Donna  and her entrepreneurial son who lives in China and regular visits are paid to the supplier to ensure that quality of each bloom – in that it is authentic in shape, colour and individuality.  

Initially, they found companies who only dealt in huge volumes and who can be somewhat dismissive of smaller enterprises, however being on the ground and single-minded on their requirements, Mezu eventually found their main supplier who understood their ethos and from whom the majority of their blooms are now obtained.

All the flowers are painted and created by hand, petal by petal, leaf by leaf, in small villages in northern China. This is great for the rural economy of this often-inhospitable region, where temperatures can plummet to -36 degrees, as it means the artisans can work from home and are not restricted by weather conditions.

“It is a fair-trade cooperative,” says Donna, “with both adult women and men creating the flowers. Quality is everything – the flower’s structure and shape, the way it looks and how it can be used in creating floral arrangements and displays. “We tend to specialise in cottage garden style blooms – roses, peonies, hydrangeas, sweet peas, foxgloves and stocks to name a few.”

Mezu pride themselves  in delivering a bespoke service to their customer base.  “I get a real buzz and sense of satisfaction talking and working directly with my customers – I want to understand what it is they need and to provide the right product, at the right price, at the time they need it”, says Donna.

For further information, go to www.mezusilkflowers.com or email info@mezusilkflowers.com.