UNDER THE RADAR:Ruth Monahan Hotelier's granddaughter makes a fashion statement with flowers. Interview by Ciarán Brennan.
There were some puzzled faces when Ruth Monahan decided to start a high-end florist business. After all, her background was in television production.
"There were a few raised eyebrows from family, friends and work acquaintances. With flower arranging, some either imagined the women in the church on Sunday or the old lady with a small little shop."
But Ruth had something more in mind. She hit upon the idea of career change when travelling to Australia with her boyfriend Ultan Devaney.
"Both our backgrounds are television production and I went into the broadband sector of TV too early. We went away travelling and I just decided I wanted to do something a bit more creative with my hands and I retrained in London as a florist."
It was no ordinary course. Ruth trained at McQueen's, the renowned flower company famous for providing the flowers to the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party, among other events.
Returning to Ireland, she set up Appassionata Flowers in November 2004. Initially, she worked from home providing Christmas bouquets. But the business really took off when she moved into premises in Sandymount in May 2005. By then she had been joined in the business by Ultan.
The business had also changed its focus, with a greater emphasis on its brand and image.
"We took the decision to spend money on our corporate branding. We have a very signature look. That was important because it would highlight our design element.
"Rather than just being a florist, I wanted to be more like a high-end fashion and perfume item."
Increasingly, it targeted contract work with corporate clients, display work and events as well as the traditional bouquet business.
Today, Appassionata provides flowers to restaurants such as Patrick Guilbaud's and a number of hotels in Dublin as well as to companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The company recently won the tender to supply the expensively refurbished and recently re-opened Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
"That has been a wonderful experience. We see it as a showcase for our work in that the Shelbourne has garnered so much attention and gives another element of kudos to our business."
Ruth should know a thing or two about the hotel business, being part of the Doyle hotel family. But the couple say the business has grown on its own merits rather than through family contacts. Nevertheless, the hotel sector is a huge growth opportunity for the business, as hotels here take the lead from the top hotels abroad in the use of floral designs as part of their image.
"The florist has always been extremely intricately bound to the interior of the hotel," says Ruth. "There are so many hotels, particularly in Dublin, and people are trying to differentiate themselves whether it is the food product, different kinds of boutique drinks or our floral elements. I think there is a movement towards individualising and personalising the hotels a bit more."
Contract work now accounts for 50-60 per cent of the business. Events such as weddings, corporate launches and dinner parties make up another 20-30 per cent, with the rest being bouquet business.
The growth in the contract work has forced the company to find new premises - a warehouse near the city centre which meant closing its high-street shop.
"Our bouquet business carries on. We are revamping our website to be a complete online shop. Most people phone us or e-mail us. Our walk-in business was so minimal in comparison to even our bouquet phone-in and e-mail business."
As well as Ruth and Ultan, Appassionata employs two people and there are plans to hire up to four more staff as the company heads into its busiest season from September to Christmas.
That four-month period generates as much revenue as the preceding eight months. Depending on how that goes and taking into account the one-off nature of the events side of the business, the owners are predicting revenue of anywhere from €500,000 to €1 million for this year.
Given the rapid growth of the business, the plan is to take a step back and consolidate what the business has achieved to date.
"Otherwise you end up chasing your tail and you can firefight for a certain amount of time," says Ruth.
ON THE RECORD
Name:Ruth Monahan
Age:33
From:Rosses Point in Sligo
Most admired person:Her grandfather PV Doyle. "I think he was ingenious in his approach to the tourism industry in Ireland. He had a lot of foresight. He was ahead of his time."
Inspired by:Tom Ford, Gucci's former creative director. "He pushed boundaries with Gucci."
Most likes to:"If I get a chance, I love going to art exhibitions for the peace of mind I get and I also enjoy the outdoors and anything to do with water."
Other interests:Building smart and eco-friendly apartment complex, Watermint, in south Dublin with her brother Neil.
Favourite music:anything with a bit of funk.
