Viola Floral was founded in 2019 by Jelena Trifunovic — floral designer, science educator, and mom of three. Jelena was born and raised in Serbia and moved to Los Angeles at the start of the Yugoslav War in the early 1990s. She studied biology and took her love of science to the classroom — first as a high school teacher and then as a professor at Loyola Marymount University.

Jelena grew up arranging flowers with her mother, entertaining and hosting many gatherings both at home and at her family’s restaurant. After her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2016, Jelena decided to pursue her passion for floral design by launching Viola Floral — honoring the bond the two women shared in a meaningful way. Viola Floral began as a labor of love and a path for Jelena to heal, but now (many years and tens of thousands of bouquets later), Jelena leads a team of designers who share her passion for flowers and floral education.

Mala joined the Viola Floral team in the summer of 2022. She was no stranger to Viola Floral — as Jelena's sister-in-law, Mala had been obligated to help since the company's inception!

Mala comes from a two-decade career in aerospace and brings an impeccably organized and detail-oriented eye to the business. Mala spent the first year at VF doing everything and anything flower-related, including early morning flower runs, meeting with vendors, de-thorning roses, cleaning buckets, and, of course, making arrangements. Now, her main focus has shifted to business operations and large-scale events and projects.