The Origin of OKRA
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Van Gogh
A great passion for the beauty of nature can create stunning pieces of culinary art and living, as seen from the work of Tina and Sun for the past eight years under the delicate name of OKRA.
OKRA is more commonly known as the Ladies’ Fingers; a flowering plant in the mallow family, which inherited its nickname from the very detailed and mindful process it needs should you wish to cook it properly. This statement truly reflects the way OKRA works; very attentive to every single detail so they deliver a perfect work all the time.
A curious and adventure-seeking kid since a very young age, Kristina Ploypailin Schelander, the Founder of OKRA Co., Ltd. asked her parents to go live in Sweden when she was nine years old. After one year of concrete assertion, she finally convinced them and went on to explore this exciting path. Tina, her nickname, fell in love with everything Mother Nature had to offer and later graduated in Floristry to pursue her goal to use natural plants and flowers to improve the life of mankind.
Having found the work that she really loves, Tina established OKRA in 2009 offering unique floral designs and decorations for individuals and businesses. Her fondness in flora always makes a great impression on her customers as they can feel the magical moments she creates for them. Her work experience ranged from home decoration, office and hotel decoration, family dinner, private party, social events all the way to the Noble Prize Award held in 2011.
In 2008, Tina met her better half, Watchanun “Sun” Tanacharoenwat who, by then, was studying a Master’s Degree in Engineering in Sweden. It didn’t take long for them to find out their common passion for nature and mindfulness. After receiving many home-cooked treats from Sun, Tina realised Sun’s affection and talent for food which sparked an idea to assemble their two skills together. They spent over a year to study about cuisine before adding it to the OKRA service.
The way this couple values the Mother Nature is as high as the care they place in their clients’ meals. All the produce used in their kitchen are seasonal, and the intrepid entrepreneurs do not hesitate to pick them on their own by visiting local farms or public forests. This fresh selection, alongside creative, yet refined cooking techniques and exquisite flower arrangements and decorations, creates a very unique dining experience. A gorgeous bouquet with a greeting card is always sent to the clients before the dining date making them feel even more special.
Working with what she loves and who she loves pushes OKRA to go even further and now the well-thought culinary service has expanded to Thailand as the couple want their children to learn about the country and to reunite with their grandparents after years of being far away.
She admitted that it is pretty challenging to start OKRA in Thailand, though it is very exciting to introduce this service to Thai people. The menus and materials for her decorations have had to change slightly to adapt to this new chapter of the company. However, the menu has never been strict as the chef, Sun, can always improvise and customise to serve the needs of each client. Catering has now reached a whole new level of service and dedication.
Apart from the creative culinary, floristry and decorations, Tina has also come up with a new way of relaxation, Flora Therapy. Seeing stress and depression in the urban life of Bangkok, Tina created the service teaching people the flower arrangement and the amazing benefit the powerful nature has to offer. The different colours and scents of each flower can mentally and physically heal and ease people in different ways.
For more information, contact OKRA at tel:0942542654 or email: Okrathailand@gmail.com
