Flowers, peonies and all things Cindy – Meet Ballito’s Protea Lady

Whenever you see an abundance of fresh flowers in Ballito, you will probably find a little busy bee rushing around behind them.

She became known as “The Protea Lady”, famous for her overflowing buckets of lush proteas at craft markets and recently blossomed into the proud shop owner of Love Laugh at Ballito Lifestyle Centre.

While it is difficult to imagine Cindy Rynhoud doing anything besides flowers, the qualified marketing whiz and interior designer said she started the fragrant work by accident.

“My sister got married in 2007 and she is the type of person who doesn’t even know what colour scheme she wants for her wedding. She asked me to do the flowers and later the cake too – both of which I had never done before,” said Cindy, who is a romantic at heart and has been married to her high school sweetheart, David for 30 years.

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She instantly loved working with flowers and being a keen traveller, felt inspired to start selling fresh cut blooms at markets the way they do overseas.

“When I suggested selling proteas, my family thought I was completely mad. Nevertheless, they supported me and were there packing the car full of flowers at 5am on Saturdays. They were really surprised that it has worked so well,” said Cindy whose handy husband makes all the display items she needs, while her daughter Kayla’s good eye for interior design helps her on the decor side.

Her first attempt was at the popular I Heart Market and before she knew it, everyone wanted her proteas.

“I used to sell out by 12pm and had people fighting over the last bunch. I thank I Heart Market for building my business.”

She later moved up to the Litchi Orchard Market, opened shop there and then took a big step when she was approached by Lifestyle Centre to start a full-blown store.

“I always dreamed of having a beautiful shop and I needed a walk-in fridge for my flowers as it can extend their life by two to three weeks.

“I am so fortunate to have come to this point and I could not have done it without my family and my fantastic team. You know, I am not a business person or know any form of accounting. I am an emotional buyer – I see flowers and buy them, even when I know they are too expensive to sell,” said Cindy, while she excitedly looked at the gorgeous flowers on the Instagram page of her newest supplier.

“I used to get my flowers from KZN, but it became too expensive, so I now source them from the Cape and Port Elizabeth.

“They are picked on Thursday mornings and flown in by the afternoon.”

Cindy’s knack for adding a touch of beauty to everything she touches goes beyond working with flowers.

“I am a real nerd. I love crafting, crocheting, knitting and beautifying.”

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