We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Cotrim a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I wanted the name of my company to hold power in its essence. I wanted it to radiate intention and remind me of its purpose every time it needs to be mentioned, to hold as much strength and healing in it as I find in the work itself. There was no other way to convey that feeling without thinking about my family, my roots, my ancestors, my reasons.
My Company name is personal. It has layers.
Beija Flor.
A Portuguese word.
The first layer is its direct translation: Beija – To kiss. Flor – Flower, also meaning flower in spanish which ties in both of my mother tongues and perfect for a Floral Design Studio. In Brasilian Portuguese when you place both words together “Beija-Flor” you get the word for Hummingbird.
Which is the next layer, Hummingbird, has deep symbolism in Brasilian, Salvadorian, and Mexican culture, often seen as spirits of our loved ones that have passed on.
The last layer for me is the one that ties it all together, the perfect combination of words that represents where I come from and where I intend to go.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jessica Alicia Morataya Cotrim. I was born and raised in San Francisco, my mom was born in El Salvador and my dad was born in Brasil. I own a small Floral Design Studio in the Excelsior District of SF, which opened in December of 2020 and have been working with flowers in the Bay Area for almost 13 years. During the summer before my sophomore year at SFSU, I was introduced to the Floral Industry through a program based out of the Mission District called “New Door Ventures”, they give job training and place you in internships with different businesses in the community. I got matched up with a Floral Design Studio in the Dog Patch and quickly found a passion in designing with flowers. It was like an escape from what I had going on in my personal life and mental struggles and gave me a glimpse of a whole other environment and a new set of goals.
Once my internship was over, the owner of the Floral Studio asked me to keep working for the company and I worked there for about 3 years before branching out to other flower shops, design studios, the SF Flower Mart and Freelance work. I gained tons and tons of experience and perspective within the industry from all angles, while finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in Latina Studies and still holding other random part time jobs as well, until we finally felt ready to open our own space right in the neighborhood where I grew up, right in the middle of a pandemic.
My main focus at Beija Flor is to provide really fresh and happy flower experiences. Specifically through events, installations, special deliveries but also in any way you can think of, if it requires well thought out flowers, we want to be there. We are not a flower shop, in the sense that we do not just purchase flowers from our suppliers and then resell them to our clients as is, we prefer to provide floral pieces that have been customized to your specific situation! Flowers have always been very mentally healing for me, so I want to make sure each one of my clients also feels a little bit of mind relaxation when they are working with me and sending their loved ones flowers. I really enjoy the language of flowers and telling our stories with flowers.
The thing I am most proud of would have to be the development of Beija Flor. Living and also in a sense watching Beija Flor bloom from sketches and notes on paper to pop ups and working out of trunks, garages, and kitchens to a real commercial setting, to all the beautiful venues we have been lucky enough to design in, I believe that my success is in this journey, and this path is one that was once in the imagination of my ancestors. There are more tangible accomplishments and big things coming that I could mention, but I think I’d rather let the flowers do the talking, and the walking.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

From my experience one concept that separates me from non-creatives is: Quality Over Quantity. Non-Creatives tend to want to push for numbers, whereas creatives are more concerned with satisfying work. For example I rather have one long lasting loyal client that loves and appreciates my work, over 5 clients that stop by once for something quick. From a non-creatives point of view seeing the 5 clients coming in might seem like success, but for the creative its not as meaningful.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Though i refuse to think of my partner passing as having a purpose, I do believe his story is one that taught me life will force you to be resilient, so you might as well be good at it. My Fiance, Jose Eduardo Pimentel, passed away 2 months after we opened the doors to Beija Flor.
He was so ready to dedicate his life to my dreams, and was the one that really pushed me and gave me that extra confidence I needed to go all in on my own business.
While fighting his own battles, he still always kept such a positive outlook on life and had such an unconditional way of loving. When he passed, I was really hurt and lost and I stayed away from Beija Flor for a long time, at first I couldn’t really see myself going back and continuing without him when he was the one that supported me the most at the beginning, I got to a really dark place. Until one day after finding myself in the lowest of all lows, I realized if I didn’t start to pick myself back up I was going to end up throwing away the biggest gift he left me, Beija Flor.
So, with the help of my family I slowly started to open the doors to Beija Flor, to bring the customers back in, take orders and it was really really hard. There were days where I would be in the back sobbing and would have to smile up when I heard a customer come in, or days when I just couldn’t make it in and chose to stay closed for the day instead, I would just stay in bed deep in my grief.
But slowly over time these things helped clarify my vision and intentions, and guided me to a business model that matches my passions, and is sustainable for my mental capacities and for how I want to live this new life in his absence.
All my plans for the future had to change when he passed, but the one thing that won’t change is that I will keep going until it’s my last day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beijaflordesigns.com
• Instagram: beijaflorgallery

Image Credits
Rosita Reyes, Karissa Wright, Angela Jazmin, Antigone Arianna.