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 goal has remained the same: to celebrate kinder brands and products.

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: planet and health.

And my research for Florah has shown me another key consideration when it comes to the things we buy: treatment of the people involved.

So, just like that, the site went from vegan-centric to multi-faceted in its ethics and objectives. Now Florah seeks to do well by people, planet, animals, and our own health.

That is quite a tall order, practically speaking. And after hours spent debating how to approach this, I’ve landed on the old truism, “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” (Thank you to Voltaire for the wordsmithery and to my dad for reminding me of this idea when I needed it most.)

If the site were devoted to absolutely ethical products all the time, the ‘lifestyle inspiration’ would prove financially prohibitive for most people, myself included. It’s also just unsustainable (!) to try to do things perfectly well all the time.

So 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 kinder than the average, even if still imperfect.

Florah curates the creme de la creme of beautiful, sustainable products—all animal-free, always—while aiming to offer options that fit different budgets and lifestyles. There are inevitable tradeoffs, but I will always try to be very clear about those. I hope you’ll join me in cultivating a healthier, more sustainable, and very beautiful lifestyle, bit by bit.

xx
Blythe

P.s. If you every have questions about or feedback on the site, you can always reach me. I answer every message.

Our rescue pibble. My word, look at that SNOOT.