DES MOINES, Iowa — In her cozy home entrance space in Des Moines is a room Guadelupe Lopez works with kindness, precise craft and tradition.
The roses she gathers and designs are a popular gift in Oaxaca, Mexico, where Lopez's family is from. It's a place that showed her the meaning of each rose.
“The flowers always meant something, like love or appreciation," she said. "Something that I remember is that my dad every year would give my mom flowers for Valentine's Day.”
Raised in Iowa, the inspiration behind her business began in college at DMACC.
A college friend showed her a bouquet on Snapchat, looking for someone who could design it so he could give it to his girlfriend. Lopez got to work and designed the bouquet herself.
“He told me, ‘My mom loved it, my girlfriend loved it!’ and it made me feel like maybe I should try more and different techniques and styles of bouquets," Lopez said.
She went for it, and launched her business in February.
Not even a year later, with the help of family, her budding business Lupe’s Flowers is sharing the beauty of Mexican bouquets to everyone who receives them.
“I really want them to feel loved and I try my best to make it look beautiful so they know that they’re loved and appreciated and valued," Lopez said.
She credits the successful launch of her startup to her family and her education.
“It was a much more easier process through the knowledge I gained through taking classes and educating myself in business," she said.
Lopez is now working full-time and is enrolled in a Master's Degree program. Her family serves as the backbone of her business, joining her in spreading this Mexican tradition in Iowa.
As she designs each bouquet, she wants her parents to know it’s all possible because of them.
“I want them to know that their sacrifices, I hope that they feel they were worth it," Lopez said.
Creating a bouquet of 50 yellow roses, with butterflies and a crown, Lopez is spreading love and appreciation, one flower at a time.