Bulgarian Startup's 'Flower in a Test Tube' Blooms Across Europe

A Bulgarian startup is rethinking the cut flower industry with a gift that stays fresh for months. Sofia-based Tube Plant (Тюб Плант) has sold more than 8,500 "flowers in a test tube" across eight European countries, including Greece, Italy, Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

The idea began as a student project at Sofia University. Founder Petar Neftelimov, then a molecular biology student, saw an opportunity after a plant biotechnology course to turn a laboratory intermediate step into a consumer product. In 2021, he and co-founder Yoana Ushakova officially launched the company, supported by a 14,908 leva grant from the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

Each flower lives in an 18-centimetre glass tube with a special nutrient medium. It blooms, fades and blooms again for over six months without watering. When the nutrients run out, owners can transplant the plant into a pot. The closed tube prevents pollen from spreading and keeps desks clean.

The production uses micropropagation, a sterile lab technique from the 1960s. Normally, flowers are removed as unwanted, but Tube Plant aims for the opposite: the plant blooms inside the tube. So far four species work: torenia, exacum, calibrachoa and bidens. The company is developing mini roses next.

The product has gained international recognition. In 2025, it won the Most Unique Eco-Friendly Floral Gift award and the LUXlife Biotech Innovation Award in the UK, and was selected among the top 90 startups at the WMF Innovation forum in Bologna from over 1,500 applicants. Corporate clients include EVN, PwC Bulgaria, Tokuda Bank and airports in Varna and Burgas.

Neftelimov sees the product as a first step towards broader applications of plant biotechnology, such as producing quality planting material and preserving plant biodiversity. For now, the team encourages customers to return used tubes for reuse, and the stands are made of wood or biodegradable plastic.