Moolap business Rustic Flower Shed goes viral after alleged farmgate theft

A Geelong farmgate business that went viral after footage captured a man allegedly stealing bouquets of flowers has been paid. WATCH THE VIDEO

A Geelong farmgate business that went viral after footage captured a man allegedly stealing bouquets of flowers has been paid.

Chloe De Roest’s video - which showed a man pick up two bouquets and leave without paying - amassed more than one million views on TikTok.

But now the small business owner has taken the original video down after telling her audience she’d been paid for the missing flowers.

“The two bunches taken in the video have now been paid for,” a video update posted on Sunday revealed.

After 35 years Maryann and Brian Kuit are closing their roadside stall at Southbeach Protea Farm because the "honesty system of payment is no longer viable". Picture: Mike Dugdale

Ms De Roest said through messages she was able to get in contact with a third party who helped her facilitate payment.

“Thank you to everyone that shared the video and helped me follow up,” she said.

“Everyone has been fantastic.”

It came just days after another Surf Coast roadside stall announced its decision to shut up shop after more than 30 years in business due to increasing thefts.

“It just got to the stage where so many flowers were being taken, it felt like someone must be on-selling them,” Maryann Kuit said last week.

“The nature of an honesty system means that occasionally you have something taken, but more recently we’ve noticed large quantities going missing.”

Ms De Roest, who has been running the Rustic Flower Shed at Moolap for four years, claimed she spotted a man taking flowers from her stall via a remote camera in the lead up to the Easter long weekend.

“I just feel used up, and it’s on private property so you feel a bit like you’ve been robbed,” she told the Geelong Advertiser at the time.

After 35 years Maryann and Brian Kuit are closing their roadside stall at Southbeach Protea Farm because the "honesty system of payment is no longer viable". Picture: Mike Dugdale

By the time she’d come down the driveway, the alleged thief had taken off without leaving money or any kind of note.

She planned to report the theft to police on Saturday, and was planning on adding extra cameras and signage to her storefront.

Ms De Roest said the viral video had been viewed as far afield as the United States and Norway, with plenty of locals voicing their support as well.

“The response has been so overwhelming and very supportive,” she said.

“I’ve also had a lot of people at the shop this morning come and see how we’re going.”

While the theft was an outlier for the small business, she said thieves had forced other local farmgate businesses to shut up shop or reduce their hours.

“But I’ve had other farmgate owners approach me and tell me they’ve shut down their stores because of thefts or out of fear.”

Alleged flower thief caught on camera goes viral

A Geelong farmgate business has gone viral after footage captured a man allegedly stealing bouquets of flowers.

Chloe De Roest, who has been running the Rustic Flower Shed at Moolap for four years, claimed she spotted a man taking flowers from her stall via a remote camera.

The video – which showed the man pick up two bouquets and leave without paying – has amassed more than a million views on TikTok.

“I just feel used up, and it’s on private property so you feel a bit like you’ve been robbed,” she said.

By the time she’d come down the driveway, the alleged thief had taken off without leaving money or any kind of note.

Ms De Roest urged the man to come forward, telling the Geelong Advertiser she’d take down the video if she received payment.

“I would love to take the footage off the internet,” she said.

“I said that I would wait until I got the $40 that I’m owed, and I haven’t received it.”

She planned to report the theft to police on Saturday, and was planning on adding extra cameras and signage to her storefront.

Ms De Roest said the viral video had been viewed as far afield as the United States and Norway, with plenty of locals voicing their support as well.

“The response has been so overwhelming and very supportive,” she said.

“I’ve also had a lot of people at the shop this morning come and see how we’re going.”

While the theft was an outlier for the small business, she said thieves had forced other local farmgate businesses to shut up shop or reduce their hours.

“So many people that love farm gates do the right thing,” Ms De Roest said.

“But I’ve had other farmgate owners approach me and tell me they’ve shut down their stores because of thefts or out of fear.”

Originally published as Moolap business Rustic Flower Shed goes viral after alleged farmgate theft