Tulipa was created by Minoo Banaei in 1998 and is operated as a family business. Minoo works also as an independent freelance floral designer on contract to other companies. Her love for flowers and arranging them in an aesthetically pleasing fashion started long before Tulipa was created.
Every spring, Minoo and her family would travel to the mountains, therein fields full with gloriously blooming tulips. With her cache of fresh tulips, their colours so vibrant, she would give arrangements of tulips for everyone she could in her neighbourhood, from her children’s teachers to the mailman bringing joy and colour into their lives. Her friends would joke that for those few weeks in the spring, nothing but tulips could be found to eat in her fridge.
Minoo started designing professionally after she moved to Ottawa and completed Algonquin College’s Floral Design program. Upon graduating from the College, she expanded her education to particularly specialize in European floral design techniques by attending classes in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. She instructs at Algonquin College and also provides workshops. She works closely with the community and has contributed to many fundraisers for such organizations as Watercan and The Cancer Society. |
