In 30 years, Rosatel has become a reference in the country and has traveled beyond the borders to other Latin American countries. Today, at 53 years old and living in Portugal, having long since left the company he created, he decided to reconnect with roses — and launch QRoses, a luxury rose delivery service.
At his side are his wife Talia Zeni, a 44-year-old lawyer, and his business partner Janice Seinfeld, 54. It was with the former that, during the pandemic, he decided to swap South America for Europe. He left Rosatel, which he had left several years ago, to create a children's toy company that he is still involved with.
In his mind, he had an old idea of taking the rose business to the European market. “It was a great experience in Peru. We only sold quality, long-stemmed roses. We reached the upper class of Lima and won business awards,” he recalls.
Despite all the success, he would eventually leave to create a marketing and advertising agency, which later led to product development — and toys. “As for roses, I always thought we could elevate the product to a higher market. Rosatel, since I left, has lost that premium side,” he notes.
Back to the roses. These are not just any flowers. They come directly from Ecuador and Colombia. “Ecuador is the country with the largest rose plantations in the world. And these roses have a long stem and large buds,” he explains. “Here, they cut the stems off roses. To me, that is mutilating the flower, because it is one of the most beautiful things about it.”
The flowers travel directly by plane, fully air-conditioned to ensure freshness. Then it’s time to pack everything in a “premium and beautiful box” with “attention to detail”. “We try to give texture to the box. Inside there is tissue paper covering the roses and underneath a bag that keeps the flowers moist”, he highlights. From his time in Peru, he also remembers one of the recurring complaints from customers, which is precisely the basis of the whole idea of this business in Portugal.
“They were always asking if the person had received the order yet, because ‘they haven’t said anything yet’. So we wanted to take advantage of technology and created a QR code that goes on each box.” The person sending the roses can personalize a written message, which can be accessed via the code. And in this connection, the recipient can react immediately “with a few simple icons”.
Finally, the last and no less important guarantee given by QRoses is the speed of delivery of the order. “In Portugal, delivery is usually made from one day to the next. We guarantee delivery on the same day”, he assures. “I want the roses to reach my girlfriend or wife right now, whether because I forgot their birthday or for some other reason. It is an immediate need.”
Deliveries are currently only made in the Greater Lisbon area. Each box costs €160 and includes 18 roses that can be one of four colours: the classic red, pink, white or peach.