Made in Vancouver is a collaboration between Vancity and Daily Hive. Together, we shine the spotlight on local businesses, organizations and individuals who help create a healthy local economy.
Based in Vancouver, Frond plants is an online store for indoor plants and pots intended to help you decorate your home and your life.
They aim to help customers find the plants that are right for them, even when they are they don’t feel like “plant people”.
Vancity has supported people in our communities since 1946, such as local entrepreneurs. As part of our Made in Vancouver series highlighting local businesses, we spoke to Chad Camacho, founder of Frondly Plants, about helping people find the right space to care for their plants. Learn more about what Vancity is doing in your community at vancity.com
“I try to create a knowledge base, services and products that make it easy for people to learn about plants, find the right one for them and their space, and take care of them no matter what. their level of skill and experience, ”said Chad Camacho.
His business begins with help people choose the right plant, rather than worrying about caring for it afterwards.
“Once you have a plant that needs a lot of sunlight in your basement apartment, it’s too late,” he said.
“I try to avoid super difficult-to-maintain plants because I want our clients to be successful, so I choose plants that are a little more tolerant if you forget to water them every now and then, or if the light in your apartment doesn’t. is not perfect.
Camacho had always dreamed of starting his own business, but it was not until pandemic, after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 31, he decided to go for it.
“I realized that life was too short not to pursue my dreams and that I didn’t want to look back on my life and wonder, what if? “
Now he wants to help people feel confident to bring plants into their homes and don’t worry about their plant dying in a few weeks or months.
“There are some cool things being done with plant technology – apps, sensors, smart pots, etc. which I think help make this easier and lower the barrier for new plant parents. I would love to create an intersection of style and technology that makes people perform better with plants, but also looks great, ”he said.
He came up with the idea for the business because he always grew up with greenery around him, which affected his mood in a positive way.
“I grew up on the tropical island of Trinidad, so I’ve always been surrounded by greenery and the wilderness of the rainforest. When I moved to Toronto in 2007 to go to college, I realized how lucky I was to have grown up in Trinidad and how important this environment was to me and my mental health ” , Camacho said.
Frondly’s mission is to empower Canadians to bring nature into their homes and experience all of the great physical, emotional and psychological benefits that plants can offer.
Its main objective is to be able to provide for the needs of his family and the families of at least 10 employees or associates.
His secondary goal is to run a carbon neutral business and make improvements to the industry I work in to get rid of single use plastics and reduce their carbon footprint by 25%.
“For the company itself, I think what makes us unique is the way I think about the role of the company in society. “
“I could be a shoe store or a glue factory and my principles would always be the same: for the company to contribute to the community in a positive way, to take care of our employees, our customers and the environment equally, leaves the world a little better and greener than we found it, ”he told us.
Be sure to check out more of their plant options on their website and Instagram.
