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How it started

For over 30 years the Pavlou family have dedicated their time and energy into growing and adding value to the domestic flower industry. Influencing and interacting with many florists, floral designers, events planners, farms and the larger community.

1990

It starts with a family with its roots stretching deep into their European culture, good moral values and passion for flowers. Mary introduced Tony to the Flower industry by teaming up to start to sell a range of flowers at the Camberwell Market on Sundays.

1991 – 1994

Business at the market soon proved to be successful and the team soon started Van Gogh Flowers in the garage of their family home. Mary convinced Tony that the opportunity they saw at the market can soon spread to adding value and joy to every home in wider Melbourne community through the supply of affordable quality cut flowers and floral designs.

1995 – 2000

During this period Tony developed a network of customers which included a range of Independent supermarkets, IGA, and floral outlets whilst Mary managed the public and customer relations and saw the customer base grow as she touched everyone she interacted with using her charm and warm nature. This led to Van Gogh Flowers growing and the addition of 2 more staff members to manage demand.

2001 – 2006

In the early 2000, Tony was approached by Aldi Group to design a display stand for flowers. Tony designed this stand and subsequently tendered to supply the flowers as well. In 2001, Van Gogh Flowers became the 1st supplier of flowers to the Aldi Group in Victoria starting with supply to 4 stores and subsequently moved into a new warehouse in Hawthorn East and adding an additional 2 members to the team.

2007 – 2011

During this period supply to the current customer base grew and Aldi Group grew to 120 stores in Victoria leading to demand increasing. Tony investigated and met international suppliers with an intention to start importing a range of product to increase the product variety available.

2012 – 2014

During this period Tony secured relationships with key suppliers in Kenya and acquired a range of Rose / Gyp / Sea Holly / Limonium. This led to travel to Kenya annually, enabling him to continue to grow his network and product offering. Van Gogh Flowers was offered a spot at Footscray Market because of the exclusive range that it had to offer.

2015 – 2019

In 2015 the Flower Market moved from Footscray to Epping, this led Tony to decide to secure a wholesale facility in Footscray and thus Australian Flower Group was born to manage the entire wholesale operation. Van Gogh Flowers warehouse in Hawthorn was transformed into a retail store to cater for an increase in retail demand and to continue the flower legacy in Hawthorn.

2020 – 2022

The beginning of new decade started as grimly with COVID casting a dark shadow over the economy. The flower industry however surprisingly still thrived during COVID as the demand shifted from event sales to online sales for friends and family. The restrictions on air travel led to a shortage in supply and increased pressure on local farms. Now after the dust has settled we are in a strong position and continue to look forward to the future.

To infinity and beyond.

Join us as we progress and move forward on our mission add value to everyone we interact with in this industry and become the most reputable flower distributor in Australia.