We have a long tradition of success. And you can relive them in detail here. We would be happy to take you on a short journey through our company history. From the company founding by Adolf Ebbing-Lohaus in 1953 to the current state of being as a state-of-the-art nursery.
Founding and early years
It all dates back to 1953, when company founder Adolf Ebbing-Lohaus was using 180 m² of tall glasshouses and 200 m² of cold frames to grow vegetables, vegetable seedlings, bedding and balcony plants. He would then sell his produce at weekly markets in the local area. Following some initial success, the company began to focus increasingly on the cultivation of cut flowers.
Start of primula growing
Rising energy costs in the early 1970s and concerns about economic efficiency prompted the company to look for alternative crops with lower energy requirements. It found these in the shape of the primula (Primula acaulis). However, the varieties available at the time did not quite match up to what Adolf Ebbing-Lohaus was looking for. So, in addition to growing bedding and balcony plants with low energy demands, he soon embarked on his own primula breeding programme. Which is how our successful variety "eblo" was born!
More intensive breeding
In the wake of initial success in primula breeding, the company expanded these activities in the 1970s. The emphasis shifted increasingly from the growing of bedding and balcony plants towards plant breeding and young plant production.
Continuing expansion and modernisation
From its early days, the company made every effort to move with the times in terms of technology. Modernisations such as climate control computers, conversion to rolling benches, and a computerised administration system were by no means standard practice in the 1980s. The decision to focus entirely on primula breeding, seeds and young plant production was made in the early 1990s. Since then, the company has utilised its full capacity by adding further crops such as Argyranthemum frutescens and Cyclamen persicum.
Company hand-over and founding of a sales company
In 1994, the founder Adolf handed over control of the company to his son, Thomas Ebbing-Lohaus. 1996 saw the creation of Ebbing-Lohaus Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, which took over all of the company's sales activities under the direction of Ulla Ebbing-Lohaus. The company launched its first web presence at www.ebbing-lohaus.de.
New glasshouses and breeding success
The days of cold frames are long gone. Today, the company has 30.000 m² under glass. Shade halls have been replaced by modern Venlo glasshouses with mobile benches. Substantial progress has been made in breeding too: the first F1 hybrids introduced by Ebbing-Lohaus in the 1980s were followed by unistar F1, primella F1 and fruelo F1, and were later joined by the other F1 hybrids bonneli, stella, delia, elena and sibel.
60 years and counting
In 2013, Ebbing-Lohaus celebrated the many developments that the company has adopted over the past 60 years. But we never rest for too long on our laurels, choosing instead to focus on the future. The market is setting new standards all the time, which challenges us to continue evolving. For example, in 2013 we conducted our first audit for GLOBAL GAP certification – quality assurance and quality management being two of the major challenges of the future.