Pittsburgh's only Fair Trade florist

Allegheny West's Kerry Kennedy blazes a fragrant path

by Tiffani Emig

There’s a new pioneer on the North Side, in Pittsburgh and in the U.S. Kerry Kennedy of K.S. Kennedy Distinctive Floral, Gift, & Gourmet has recently become the first florist in the United States to become a member of the Fair Trade Floral organization FLP (Flower Label Program).

Based in Germany, where consumer desire for fair trade flowers is higher, the FLP consists of human rights organizations, trade unions, flower producers, and flower retailers working together to create and uphold environmental and human rights standards for the floral industry.

"Americans have really been concerned in recent years about where their coffee comes from, but we don’t ask about our flowers,” said Kennedy. He explains that he was inspired to join the FLP after watching the documentary Ecuador: Flower Power, which depicts the differences between fair trade and traditional rose farms. One of the best things that FLP farms did to improve worker conditions was to give workers gloves so that they no longer had to use their bare hands to strip the thorns from roses.

"Honestly, I was embarrassed that I didn’t think about the people who grew my roses before,” Kennedy admits. “And I was shocked to learn that there were no U.S florists who had cared enough or been pressured by their clientele to join the FLP. And what does it cost? $93 a year. I didn’t think twice.”

"I mean, that’s why you become a florist – because you care.”

At least two corporate supermarkets in the Pittsburgh area have carried intermittent supplies of Fair Trade flowers, but K.S. Kennedy stands alone in his exclusive commitment to the Fair Trade label. Kennedy hopes to change this by encouraging other florists in Pittsburgh and across the United States to follow his lead in joining the FLP.

To complement your Fair Trade flowers, K.S. Kennedy carries a fun array of locally-based gifts, the most unique selection of greeting cards on the North Side, and an unmatched aura of positive vibes that stems (pun intended) from Kennedy’s always-positive attitude.

KS Kennedy, Distinctive Floral, Gift & Gourmet, 860 Western Ave, Pittsburgh, 412-322-ROSE (kkennedy256@earthlink.net)