Emsflower

Emsflower GmbH is a horticultural production company based in Emsbüren in the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, Germany. It traces its roots to a nursery founded in 1954 by Jan Kuipers in De Lutte in the Netherlands, and it was established under the Emsflower name in 2004 when the business moved to Emsbüren and shed its earlier name, Kwekerij Kuipers B.V. The company is owned by the Dutch grower Bernardus Gerhardus Johannes ("Bennie") Kuipers, son of the founder, who has been active in the business since 1977. Measured by the total glazed area of its greenhouses — 785,000 square metres according to the German Wikipedia entry — Emsflower is described as the largest horticultural company in Europe and a European market leader. Its main site at Emsbüren covers around 100 hectares, of which roughly 38 hectares have been built over with greenhouses since February 2012. The company produces more than 500 million bedding and potted plants per year, focusing on bedding and balcony plants in 10-tray units for discount bulk buyers such as garden-centre, DIY-store and grocery chains across Europe. In peak season, up to 300 trucks can leave the site, which sits directly at the A30/A31 motorway junction, on a single weekend. Beyond production, Emsflower operates a public visitor destination. Since March 2006 the complex has included the "Erlebniswelt Emsflower" plant adventure park, and in April 2014 an 82,000-square-metre garden shopping centre opened immediately next to the greenhouses. The visitor offer includes a nursery, a butterfly garden, a tropical garden, a show greenhouse, a restaurant, a playground, "Big insects" exhibits and hydroculture displays, with events such as the "Season of Light" winter illumination and Sunday breakfast buffets. The company also runs a propagation operation in Moshi, Tanzania, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and maintains a sustainability focus and an "Emsflower Äthiopien" (Ethiopia) initiative. Emsflower remains a privately held family business rather than a listed company. Its dual identity — industrial-scale plant grower and consumer-facing garden attraction — makes it an unusual hybrid in European horticulture, and its scale gives it significant leverage with the discount retail chains that form its core customer base.

Emsflower's history begins with a nursery founded in 1954 by Jan Kuipers in De Lutte in the Netherlands. In 1962 Jan Kuipers built the first greenhouses. From 1977 his son Bennie became active in the business. Over the following decades the family firm expanded through new sites: Klazienaveen in 1985, Denekamp in 1986, Fretzdorf in 1998, and finally Emsbüren in 2004. It was at Emsbüren that the company dropped its earlier name, Kwekerij Kuipers B.V., and adopted the present name Emsflower. A further site was added in Erica in 2013. A propagation operation is located in Moshi in Tanzania, at the foot of Kilimanjaro. The Emsbüren site became the company's largest. It comprises 100 hectares of land, of which around 38 hectares have been built over with greenhouses since February 2012. The Denekamp site covers 17 hectares and the Fretzdorf site roughly 8–10 hectares. At Emsbüren the company produces more than 500 million bedding and potted plants per year, concentrating on bedding and balcony plants in 10-tray units for discount bulk buyers — garden-centre, DIY-store and grocery chains — throughout Europe. In peak season, up to 300 trucks can leave the site, which lies directly at the A30/A31 motorway junction, on a single weekend. Alongside production, Emsflower developed a public-facing dimension. Since March 2006 the complex has included the "Erlebniswelt Emsflower" plant adventure park. In April 2014 an 82,000-square-metre garden shopping centre opened immediately next to the greenhouses. The visitor offer now spans a nursery, butterfly garden, tropical garden, show greenhouse, restaurant, playground, "Big insects" exhibits and hydroculture displays, with recurring events such as the "Season of Light" winter illumination and Sunday breakfast buffets. The company also highlights sustainability and an "Emsflower Äthiopien" (Ethiopia) initiative. Measured by the total glazed area of its greenhouses — 785,000 square metres — Emsflower is described as the largest horticultural company in Europe and a European market leader. The owner is the Dutchman Bernardus Gerhardus Johannes ("Bennie") Kuipers. Other large German horticultural operations include the Landgard-affiliated Nordwest-Blumen in Wiesmoor and the Wiesmoor-Gärtnerei.

• 2014

  An 82,000-square-metre garden shopping centre opens next to the greenhouses in April.

• 2013

  A further site is added in Erica.

• 2012

  Since February, around 38 hectares of the Emsbüren site have been built over with greenhouses.

• 2006

  The "Erlebniswelt Emsflower" plant adventure park opens in March.

• 2004

  The company moves to Emsbüren, drops the name Kwekerij Kuipers B.V. and adopts the name Emsflower.

• 1998

  A site is established in Fretzdorf.

• 1986

  A site is established in Denekamp.

• 1985

  A site is established in Klazienaveen.

• 1977

  Son Bennie Kuipers becomes active in the family business.

• 1962

  Jan Kuipers builds the first greenhouses.

• 1954

  Jan Kuipers founds a nursery in De Lutte, Netherlands, the origin of the later Emsflower business.

Europe's largest nursery by greenhouse area and a European market leader in bedding and balcony plants for discount bulk buyers, combined with a consumer-facing garden experience destination.

• Bedding and balcony plants (10-tray units)

  Core product for discount bulk buyers such as garden-centre, DIY-store and grocery chains across Europe.

• Potted plants

  Produced at scale at the Emsbüren site, contributing to over 500 million plants per year.

• Vegetables

  Listed among the nursery production categories on the official website.

• Own-bred plant varieties

  The company develops its own plant breeds ("Eigene Züchtung").

• Hydroculture plants

  Presented as a visitor attraction and product category at the Emsbüren site.

• Season of Light
• Sunday breakfast buffet
• Daily animal keeper talks and feedings

1. 1Emsflower - Europas größte Gärtnereiemsflower.de
2. 2Geschichte Emsflower - Europas größte Gärtnereiemsflower.de
3. 3Über Emsflower - Europas größte Gärtnereiemsflower.de
4. 4Nachhaltigkeit Emsflower - Europas größte Gärtnereiemsflower.de
5. 5Emsflowerwikidata.org
6. 6Emsflowerde.wikipedia.org