The history of our Flower Vending Machine

The History of Our Flower Vending Machines

This is a short chronicle of events that changed our company and Polish floristry. We would like to emphasize that the text below describes the history according to our best knowledge and memories.

It is no coincidence that throughout the entire text we always capitalize the word Flower Vending Machine. In our company, the boss introduced this rule out of deep respect for the product itself and for the enormous effort the entire team put into creating it. For us, the Flower Vending Machine is a symbol that we sign with all our hearts.

In this story, several people appear who played key roles at different stages of the Flower Vending Machine’s development:
Sebastian – the originator,
Jacek – the leader of work on the Flower Vending Machine,
Marek – co-owner of the company,
Ryszard – the breakthrough idea,
Andrzej – marketing and market acceleration.

A separate role is also played by the Clients, who have co-created the Flower Vending Machine from the very beginning and, as they themselves emphasize today, call it “Our Flower Vending Machine.”

It All Started in Andrychów

Everything began in 2021, in the heart of Andrychów. It was there that Sebastian, observing the flower shop run by his mother, noticed a real need to create a solution that would allow customers to collect beautiful bouquets at any time of day or night. Sebastian felt that a traditional flower shop needed an extension of its opening hours, while at the same time giving the florist—his mother—more breathing space.

While searching for technical possibilities to realize his idea, Sebastian found a company from northern Poland specializing in electronics. It was this company that contacted us, Eldrut, asking for support in building the mechanics and structure of the device. Since Eldrut had previously been involved in the production of meal vending machines, it had sufficient competencies to take on this project. This is how the first joint unit was created, which we named the “Flower Vending Machine.”

Soon, however, our partners from the north—who had done excellent work at the beginning—decided they wanted to focus on their other, existing projects, so we were left with the project on our own. This was a moment when many companies might have withdrawn. However, the determination of Jacek, Marek, and Sebastian proved stronger. Their unwavering persistence stemmed from the fact that they believed in this project like very few others did.

Jacek and Ryszard

At this point, we must pay tribute to a man without whom this story might never have begun. Jacek became the first manager of this project. He created the first prototype and then, with substantive support from Sebastian, designed subsequent, increasingly refined versions of the device. Jacek’s determination was truly legendary.

However, this technological puzzle would not have been complete without one more important figure. Our close friend and partner Ryszard became involved in the creation process. It was he who brought into the project one of the absolutely key ideas, without which the Flower Vending Machine would not be the same device it is today. To this day, we fondly remember that breakthrough moment with Ryszard—the moment when, thanks to his suggestion, the project gained an entirely new quality.

We Tried to Interest the Market in the Flower Vending Machine…

For the first two years, Jacek and Sebastian fought together to spark market interest. It was an extremely difficult time. With incredible persistence, Sebastian made hundreds—perhaps thousands—of phone calls to flower shops all over Poland during this period, trying to infect florists with a new idea.

Together with Jacek, they exhibited twice at industry trade fairs, putting all their available energy into it. Despite the initial lack of results and a cool reception from the industry, this trio (Jacek, Sebastian, and Marek) did not stop their efforts. Marek played a huge role here, supporting these activities and often placing vision and ideals above purely business considerations. This was crucial, because the project was consuming ever greater funds to improve the technology, and outside our team no one yet believed in its success. We, however, had a good feeling about it.

Andrzej Dąbrowski

As a company, Eldrut has been building its experience in the metal industry since 1998. However, in the history of the Flower Vending Machine itself, the end of 2022 proved to be crucial. That was when Andrzej appeared on our path—found by Sebastian.

After a few months from the start of the project, Andrzej was informed about the Flower Vending Machine. Initially—like the rest of the industry—he was skeptical. He openly claimed that the Flower Vending Machine made little sense in traditionally understood floristry. However, in the meantime, while observing the market, he gained a client and soon purchased a device for his own flower shop, realizing that this might be “it.”

The real breakthrough came during trade fairs at the end of 2022, when we placed the device directly at Andrzej’s stand. Seeing the great interest from visitors, Andrzej fully believed in the project’s potential—because this was finally the right moment on the market. At that time, the floristry industry needed it like never before, and it was Andrzej’s stand.

As a person with vast experience and strong involvement in social media, Andrzej brought new energy. He was the one who popularized the brilliantly simple campaign “Flower Vending Machine on a trial basis.” Thanks to this, the first clients could test the machine without taking on enormous financial risk at the start. Today, Sebastian is developing the project in the Czech and Slovak markets, while Andrzej continues the mission of building the Polish and Western European market.

Our Most Important Heroes: The Clients

An important milestone was Mr. Darek. Thanks to him, a mobile application for the Flower Vending Machine was created. Darek had the idea—he wanted to have everything under control on his phone. Today, we cannot imagine the Flower Vending Machine without this application. Darek pushed us to do it. And he was right. It changed the way florists manage their businesses. It was another step toward modernity, made possible thanks to courageous clients.

We must also mention Ms. Asia, who brought many observations into the project. Above all, she brought heart and showed what passion for floristry truly is. She put a lot of energy into recommending our solutions abroad. Her support for foreign clients was invaluable. Ms. Asia is the good soul of this project.

Ms. Bianka, on the other hand, quickly turned us into professionals and had patience with us during the first technical anomalies. She believed in us, and her trust and support in overcoming adversities were priceless. Thanks to her, we could learn from mistakes and improve the technology. Her faith in this project was incredible.

But in truth, we must thank all the other clients as well. Because it is they who built our Flower Vending Machines. We simply listen politely to your advice and observations and implement them without discussion. You tell us what to improve, what to change, and what works great.

There are many more people worth mentioning. We do not want to omit anyone, because each of you is a co-owner of the “Flower Vending Machine” project. Without your feedback, these machines would never be as good as they are today.

DNA of Creation

In this story, there is an extremely important fact that we discovered after about 1.5 years of running the project. Throughout that entire time, we believed we were absolutely the first company to create a Flower Vending Machine. After quite a long time, however, we learned that similar devices had already existed in the world, although very rarely—for example in Germany or the Netherlands. In Poland at that time, there were only three units—one imported from Italy, and the second and third probably machines made to individual order.

Today, we believe that this unawareness was our greatest blessing. Because of it, we did not follow others’ solutions or look at ready-made patterns. We went our own way, which allowed us to create breakthrough technologies, develop unique know-how, and obtain several patents. We are following our own path, building something authentic from scratch.

Mission: Support for the Passionate Florist

We introduced Flower Vending Machines to the broad market at a difficult time for the industry—flower shops needed a tool to remain competitive in the face of rapidly rising labor costs.

From the very beginning, our strategy was to support enthusiasts. We knew that for a florist, purchasing a Flower Vending Machine was a huge investment, often beyond what they could afford from their own funds. Leasing financing proved helpful for many clients, enabling them to make such a purchase. A client who invested so much and took a risk at the beginning of the Flower Vending Machine era treats bouquets with the utmost care. Flower shop owners ensure that every composition is perfect and that the device itself is impeccably maintained. Their primary goal is for the Flower Vending Machine to be accepted by their local community, which is why they put their whole heart into it. Thanks to this, today Flower Vending Machines are renowned for the quality of their bouquets. The machine also provides flowers with ideal conditions, which makes them last longer later in customers’ vases.

If we had started with large chains or investors who would have treated it as a tool for building passive income—resulting in bouquet quality that did NOT stand out—Flower Vending Machines might no longer exist on the market today. Today, the legend of compositions from Flower Vending Machines is deeply rooted in people’s awareness, so the “Flower Vending Machine” project is no longer at risk.

Today: Polish Engineering Thought in the World

Today, the Flower Vending Machine is a Polish source of pride that is beginning to revolutionize the European market. Thanks to Marek’s persistence, Jacek’s engineering passion, Sebastian’s and Darek’s vision, the support of Ryszard, Asia, and Bianka, and Andrzej’s energy, we export our devices to 19 countries around the world.

This is a story about how it is worth believing in intuition and ideals.