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Taking the forest home in a glass

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To take a piece of forest home isn’t as easy as it sounds. You have to first understand what’s beneath the forest – from the layers of soil to how water moves beneath, to the surrounding environment and characteristics of each plant,” says Denny Mo, founder of Angles & Earth.

Mo’s passion for nature and his love of plants led to him (unintentionally) starting a terrarium business.

His geometric glass terrariums contain miniature forests, which he carefully constructs. After five years of learning about 3D design, geometry, ecosystems and plants, his passion has turned into a business.

What did you do prior to starting your own business?

I’ve always been doing my own thing.

I own an advertising agency and have also designed an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags (Hexabag). I tried working at a big advertising agency once – that lasted four weeks before I started twirling my pen...

Where did the idea for the terrariums come from?

Plants have always fascinated me, specifically fungi. (Googling the Cordyceps fungus will blow your mind.) It was through one of my kitchen lab experiments that I discovered the long-lost art of the terrarium, which was once a flourishing art in the 16th century. I wanted to modernise it.

What motivated you to turn it into a business?

I didn’t, it just grew so quickly. I put up a website to promote the art and the next thing I knew, people were asking me to make terrariums.

How did you make the first sale happen?

You always remember the first sale. SABC 3’s Top Billing called me up to feature my work. I showed up on set, and the producer bought the terrarium I had exhibited on the show. I serviced his terrarium quite recently; it’s still going strong. It’s amazing to see.

Tell us more about the services you offer, and the clients you supply pieces to.

I generally sell the terrariums online, but I’m opening a store in Cape Town’s city centre in December, which is very exciting. I also supply to a lot of retail and corporate spaces. The terrariums are perfect for replacing those hideous, giant plants, and they last longer then flowers. I also service their terrariums every second week to keep them in tip-top shape.

What have bee the three biggest difficulties you've had to overcome?

So many! Geometry, ecosystems, chemistry. If any one of these elements is out of place, the terrarium won’t live. It took me five years to get it right.

Biggest lesson learnt?

Know when to invest your money. I learnt this from my last business venture, Hexabag. I went all in, sold my house to fund the business, and it flopped. After losing it all, I got back up. I learnt that just because you think it’s a good idea doesn’t mean the world thinks it’s a good idea. Play it safe and wait for the opportunity to arrive, and when it does, grab it. Miss it and it’s all over. Also, do what you love. It shows when there is passion in your work, and passion goes further than money.

How tough is competition in your sector, and what differentiates your product from others?

Technically I don’t have any. I’m the only terrarium guy in SA, but competition comes down to the way you position your brand. If I stayed in the terrarium business, I would have the monopoly. However, I don’t aim small. My goal is to replace all corporate greenery with my terrariums, which would make my competition massive.

What was unexpected?

Angles & Earth becoming a business was not my intention. Planting terrariums was my escape from computers. I'm good with computers, but that doesn't mean I like them, Being in the forest admiring nature and surfing is my thing.  

How do you stay motivated?

The plants keep me going. My fingernails are always black from the soil, I smell of plants half the time and always find myself in a forest searching for answers. These plants take me to places where my soul wants to be.

What is your three-year goal for your company?

Set up shops nationally, then internationally. I’m already working with people from Botswana and Taiwan on this.

I would also love to build a life-size terrarium big enough to house a few dozen people, a living bio-dome, if you would, where people can learn about the importance of nature.

After that, I want to open a lab. I believe the era of blue-chip technology isn’t everything, but bioengineering is the next big thing. I already have the idea in my head. I just need a team to make it happen.

This is a shortened version of an article that originally appeared in the 3 November edition of finweek. Buy and download the magazine here

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