Our Story

Our Story Begins with Bees

For more than fifteen years, we’ve tended hives and gardens in the Fraser Valley, sharing each season’s blooms with both pollinators and people. Fruit trees, herbs, ornamentals, and edible flowers grow together here, creating a patchwork of colour and fragrance.

We gather our botanicals with care, growing them naturally and in rhythm with the land. Every petal and leaf carries the character of this small homestead — its seasons, its soil, and the hum of life around it.

A Book That Changed Everything

The idea for The Floria Tea Co blossomed unexpectedly. While browsing a small thrift shop, we discovered an old book on floriography — the Victorian language of flowers — filled with symbolic meanings once shared through bouquets.

As we turned the pages, we recognized flowers already thriving in our garden: jasmine for joy, calendula for comfort, violet for virtue. What if those meanings could be steeped — not only arranged?

Curiosity bloomed into experimentation, and garden harvests became story-rich blends meant to be shared.

A Brief History of Floriography 

Long before emojis, people found subtle ways to communicate their feelings. During the Victorian era (1837–1901), social etiquette made many emotions too delicate to speak aloud — so messages were delivered through flowers. This practice became known as floriography: a symbolic language where each bloom carried its own meaning.

Victorians exchanged carefully arranged bouquets called tussie-mussies. A red hibiscus signaled passion. Cornflowers spoke of remembrance. Pink roses expressed appreciation. Even ribbon direction changed meaning.

Dozens of flower dictionaries were published, each assigning emotions and virtues to blossoms. These books became quiet companions for courtship, friendship, grief, and celebration.

   

Why Pair Flowers with Tea?

Tea is already ritual:

warm hands around a mug,
steam rising in stillness,
a pause in the day.

When botanicals are chosen for their symbolism,
the experience becomes brighter, richer, more meaningful —
a conversation between aroma and emotion.

 

Floriography Today, Steeped Anew

Floriography isn’t about returning to Victorian formality.
It’s about elevating everyday tea with meaning:

Thank you for visiting The Floria Tea Co — where taste meets tenderness,
and where the simplest gesture can still speak beautifully.