Ukrainian Florists Build New Roots in Luxembourg with 'Letz Bouquet'

Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee their homeland due to Russia's full-scale invasion continue to rebuild their lives and establish businesses in Luxembourg; Chronicle.lu explores their experiences and challenges in this series.

In November 2024, Olena Vvedenska and her husband Kostyantyn opened “Letz Bouquet”, a flower shop located in the centre of Luxembourg City. Although Olena had moved to the Grand Duchy nine years earlier, she was motivated to start the business after her now colleague, Yuliia Keba, arrived in Luxembourg in the spring of 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“By profession, I’m a botanist. I then moved into floristry and have now been a florist for 20 years. So the question of what to do in Luxembourg was never really in doubt – I didn’t consider anything outside of flowers,” explained Olena. “The greatest support in opening the shop came from Yuliia, a florist who ended up in Luxembourg because of the war in Ukraine. Without her help and support, this shop wouldn’t exist. She was there for me both morally and physically. I’m very grateful she supported me in this idea,” she added.

Yuliia Keba, a florist and mother of three grown daughters, lived in Kyiv before the Russian’s full-scale invasion. She made the difficult decision to leave Ukraine amid growing uncertainty. “I left thinking that if things stayed just as hard in Ukraine, at least I could help financially. I left when supermarket shelves in Kyiv were empty. I was baking bread at home,” she said.

Through a network of professional contacts, Yuliia secured a job at “Hortos”, a flower shop in Luxembourg. A friend had found work at a floral studio near Paris and her employer had posted about hiring a Ukrainian florist on social media. In response, several shop owners expressed interest in hiring Ukrainians, including the owner of Hortos, AnnaMaria, who eventually hired Yuliia.

She reflected on her first weeks in Luxembourg and in her new job, noting that she stayed in the SHUK emergency housing in Luxembourg-Kirchberg. “I stayed there alone for about four days, then for a month in the Hilton hotel. Later, I reconnected with Olena, whom I knew from Kyiv – we found each other [on social media]. She had contacts with people who kept a flat through Hostel Family for a friend and when they heard I wanted to bring my daughter, they offered it to me,” Yuliia recounted.

While still employed at Hortos, Olena assisted Yuliia with occasional projects, such as shop window displays. “There was a big order for Mother's Day and Olena came to help. I think that’s when the idea to start something of our own began to take shape. It grew slowly and eventually became this shop,” Yuliia added.

According to Olena, from the start, they aimed to be located in Luxembourg’s city centre: “We never considered opening elsewhere. We speak more English than French or Luxembourgish and the English-speaking clientele is in the city centre.”

They faced challenges securing a space, receiving four rejections before eventually being accepted. “The most difficult part was opening a bank account, which we managed only after the shop opened. An online bank saved us. And, of course, getting the professional licence – to operate a flower business, you need to prove your qualifications and experience and have your specialist education recognised in Europe,” said Olena.

Despite these obstacles, Letz Bouquet officially opened in November 2024. “We mainly sell bouquets and fresh flowers and we offer delivery services. We’re hoping to return to event and wedding arrangements. Recently, we helped decorate the Ukrainian Charity Ball and will be working at another Ukrainian event soon. We’ve also had more requests for funeral arrangements lately. Since we have the knowledge and experience to help people through such difficult moments, we would like to develop in that direction as well,” added Olena.

A month after opening, the team welcomed another Ukrainian – Anastasiia Alekseieva, who had fled Kyiv due to the war. At the time, she was a sixteen-year-old secondary school student. Having moved with her family, she completed her studies in Luxembourg and decided to take a gap year before university to work.

“Usually, students work in cafes, restaurants, bars or shops – but without the language, that’s hard. I have friends who only speak English and work in those places, but it’s tough. I printed my CV and handed it out at different places. Some of them even replied,” said Anastasiia.

Eventually, a recommendation from one of Olena’s acquaintances led to an interview with Anastasiia, who was nineteen years old by this time. “I was hired because I already spoke a bit of French. I’ve been actively learning it for six months. I told them I could speak it, but it wasn’t great. I improved on the job thanks to daily customer interactions. At first, I often had to use English, but eventually, I picked up the language much faster than I ever could in a classroom. My job really helped me start speaking,” she added.

Anastasiia said the beginning was challenging, as she only recognised basic flowers. Over time, she learned their names and how to care for them. Her main role is interacting with customers. “I’m always dealing with visitors – it’s interesting because people are different. Sometimes situations are stressful, but it all depends on how you handle them. That’s something I’ve learned,” she said.

The team also includes Maia Kassimo from Kharkiv, who moved to the Grand Duchy after the full-scale invasion. She manages digital marketing and social media for Letz Bouquet. “My mother is Ukrainian and my father is Portuguese – he lives in Luxembourg, so I chose this country when I was forced to leave Ukraine,” Maia explained.

“I believe our efforts will pay off. Even now, we’ve seen some results from small-budget advertising campaigns. From my experience working with restaurants in Luxembourg, this can be effective. We currently have 700 Instagram followers and are aiming for 2,000. I believe we’ll get there in one or two months,” said Maia about the business development.

Yuliia Keba encouraged others not to give up on their job search and highlighted what she appreciates about Luxembourg: “Knock and the door will open, or the path will be made by walking. Never stop. What I love about Luxembourg is the people. Sometimes I feel homesick, but then I step on the bus and a stranger smiles at me or compliments me. They’re so polite here. That’s something I miss about home – these kind-hearted people. And I understand their kindness comes from peace. They’ve lived in calm for a very long time.”

IK