Discover your new sustainable faves
Florah is carefully researched & thoughtfully curated to bring you the best — in ethics, aesthetics, and quality — that today’s sustainable brands and products have to offer.
Founding Story
Hi! I’m Blythe. That’s me on the left, with my fiancé Whit. I launched Florah (originally called Kind Valentine) in 2020. Since then the site has gone through many iterations as it’s found its footing. But the essence has remained the same: a celebration of brands and products that are kinder to all.
I’ve been vegan for over 10 years now. My motivation has always been the animals, but I’ve come to see the other ways in which that lifestyle choice matters. Namely, planet and health. At the same time, my research for Florah has highlighted another key consideration when it comes to consumption: treatment of the people involved. So slowly but surely these important pieces came together: people, planet, animals, and health.
That’s quite a tall order, practically speaking. I’ve spent many hours debating how to approach this, and here’s where I’ve landed: Florah’s philosophy is, “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” If the site were devoted to absolutely ethical products all the time, the ‘lifestyle inspiration’ would prove financially prohibitive for most people (myself included).
Instead, Florah is about fun, easy, bite-sized ways of shopping and living better. It’s about considering our purchases more thoughtfully, and choosing options that are much kinder than the average, even if they’re imperfect.
Florah curates the creme de la creme of beautiful, sustainable, plant-based products, while aiming to provide options that fit different budgets and lifestyles. There are inevitable tradeoffs, but I will always try to be perfectly clear about those. I hope you’ll join me in cultivating a healthier, more sustainable, and very beautiful lifestyle, bit by bit.
Florah Team
Blythe Whitten-Snarr
Founder
Blythe has spent her career working with plant-based startups, believing strongly that business can be a force for good and better products can change the world. With a background in marketing, she also knows that brands hoping to make a real impact have to start with a real need (or want) and offer something exceptional to solve it. Florah was created to celebrate such brands: the ones making life better for their users, their people, the earth, and the animals.
Blythe lives in the Finger Lakes with her lovely fiancé and their beloved dog Luna. (Luna’s DNA tells us she’s mostly pit with a little husky, but we suspect she’s also got some pig, seal, cow, and muffin in her as well.) Blythe loves to clean the house while listening to The Office or 30 Rock or New Girl, cook easy but flavorful vegan things, and dream big about the future.
Dr. Himadri Patel
Queen of Code
“Queen of WordPress” was another title in the running, but we love an alliteration around here. Dr. Himadri Patel is a specialist and enthusiast in WordPress development, and she tackles any and every challenge we encounter with deep expertise. She also works with Laravel, CodeIgniter, Python, Machine Learning, and AI. Dr. Patel is a treasure, and the reason that Florah functions seamlessly. (You can find her at Voidek Webolutions, where she is the Managing Director.)
Dr. Patel prioritizes environmental conservation, and does her part to contribute by reducing plastic use and planting trees. She has a deep appreciation for various forms of art and admires the talents of others. Music holds a special place in her heart, and she takes joy in listening to it and engaging in classical dance.
Giving Back
I think there’s huge potential for bettering the world when business and charity go hand in hand. That’s why 30% of profits from Florah will go directly to charitable organizations. I’m currently (as of Nov 1, 2024) deciding on the specific organizations, and this page will be updated soon to reflect that. The 30% will be split evenly across three organizations: one focused on the environment, one focused on people, and one focused on animals.
Affiliate Disclosure
Florah often features affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission or referral fee at no extra cost to you. Posts containing affiliate links will be clearly marked at the top of the post.
I only recommend brands and products that I’ve researched carefully and believe are outstanding. If you choose to make a purchase through one of my affiliate links – thank you so much! It is hugely appreciated. I hope that it will also feel gratifying to you that a chunk of that goes to worthy causes.