Give something they’ll remember from Incredibly Edible Delites

Fruit is a tough sell for markets, but one business is giving fruit a new image by disguising it as fresh flowers.

Incredibly Edible Delites slices and dices ordinary fruit into “flower” bouquets. The company opened a store in Carpinteria in 2004, but sells its product through home delivery.

“When the average person thinks of a fruit basket, they picture apples and oranges stacked under cellophane,” said Dan Rickhoff, owner. “Most people view it as a pretty boring gift. In contrast, our product is designed to look like a real flower bouquet. I’ve never heard anyone describing our baskets as boring.”

To create the bouquets, Rickhoff and his team cut up melons, pineapples, strawberries and grapes and shape them into flowers. Pineapples become daisies, strawberries become tulips and green honeydews become leaves.

The fruit can be put together into more than a dozen different designs, ranging from a large, spring-like bouquet to a dozen roses.

“Most people do a double-take when they first see one of our baskets,” said Rickhoff. “I’ve had many people compare them to a work of art. Sometimes we have to remind our customers that they are meant to be eaten.”

For details or to place an order, please call (805) 566-0031 or make contact via e-mail at santabarbara@fruitflowers.com or visit the Internet website at www.fruitflowers.com.