Last updated: 30 July 2026 · Method version 1.1
We created the Flower Journey to make one part of a bouquet’s story visible: the estimated distance travelled by its flowers and foliage before they reach the Fig & Bloom studio where the design is made.
What the number means
The product-page figure is the estimated average journey per stem. We calculate the straight-line distance for every flower and foliage stem in a recipe, weight each distance by the number of stems used, add those results together and divide by the total stem count.
Formula: sum of each stem’s quantity × distance, divided by the total number of stems.
The result is displayed in kilometres and changes with bouquet size, subscriber stem count and the Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane studio preparing the order. To avoid implying false precision, results using state-level proxies are rounded to the nearest 50 km and results containing a country-level proxy are rounded to the nearest 100 km.
How we choose representative points
Our supplier records sometimes identify a state or country rather than an individual farm. We do not invent farm-level precision. Instead, we apply one consistent proxy policy:
- Australian state-only origins use the relevant state capital: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth.
- Country-only origins use a national flower-export hub: Quito for Ecuador, Nairobi for Kenya, Kuala Lumpur for Malaysia, Kunming for China, Changi for Singapore, Auckland for New Zealand and Aalsmeer for the Netherlands.
These representative points are calculation proxies. They are not claims that every stem came from that city, used that airport or followed a direct route.
Distance method
Distances are WGS84 geodesic distances, measured in kilometres, between the approved origin proxy and the relevant Fig & Bloom studio. In plain language, that is the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface between those two points.
What the figure does not measure
The Flower Journey is not an actual freight itinerary, carbon footprint or complete sustainability score. We do not currently have verified data for every transport leg, freight mode, consolidation point, refrigeration requirement, farm energy source, greenhouse heating input, growing input, spoilage or wastage. A shorter distance does not automatically mean a smaller environmental impact.
Seasonality and substitutions
Flowers are seasonal and substitutions are sometimes necessary. When the recipe changes, its journey estimate can change too. Sarah Bernhardt peonies, for example, use a month-dependent origin rule. Where provenance is an approved working estimate rather than supplier-confirmed, we retain that distinction in the underlying data.
Coverage and review
The current calculation covers all 55 live Fig & Bloom Recipes/BOMs used for the mapped bouquet range, with 114 canonical flower and foliage lines documented across the complete audited catalogue. We review the registry when suppliers, recipes, studios or evidence change.
Questions about the method or a source? Contact Fig & Bloom.