History
1937
Aad Prins’ grandfather, who was originally from ’s-Gravenzande, laid the foundation for the company. In 1937, he was growing tulips in the village of Sint Annaparochie in Friesland. On the way back to The Hague, he had to wait for a train at the station in Anna Paulowna. As luck would have it, a flower bulb company in Breezand was being auctioned in the cafe opposite. Grandpa successfully offered 63,000 guilders, and found himself the owner of 5 hectares of land and a house with a barn. He did not buy it for himself, but for his son Huib, who was 18 at the time. Huib moved to North Holland, where he started cultivating flower bulbs, vegetables and potatoes.
1946
After the war, he continued growing bulbs: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and accompanying varieties.
1968
Once it’s in your Westland blood, you can’t escape it… a small greenhouse was built on the farm.
1976
The greenhouse grew by 3,000 m2 when son Aad joined the company in 1976.
1983
Aad continued the company himself.
1987
The hatchery activities came to an end. Aad continued to cultivate virus-free starting material for lilies and calla lilies, while bulb cultivation continued outside.
1990
In the 1990s, the company continued to expand, more greenhouses were added, and outdoor cultivation grew to 20 hectares. The cultivation of calla lilies in particular expanded considerably. Eventually, it would overtake all spring crops.
2009
Aad constructed a new 15,000-m2 greenhouse to replace the old glass buildings and rental locations.
2012
Three years later, the area under glass had grown to 22,000 m2, and additional greenhouse space was rented.
2016
As the greenhouse cultivation continued to expand, the company decided to stop growing calla lilies outdoors. Aad Prins continued with cultivation for third parties, in which he had already built a strong reputation in the virus-free and disease-free cultivation of starting material for flower bulb cultivation.
2017
Daughter Freddie joined the company. It meant that the third generation was ready to continue the family business.
2021
In the footsteps of great-grandfather Prins, who had already grown flower bulbs in Sint Annaparochie in 1936, Aad and Freddie Prins settled in Friesland. Due to the increasing demand for virus-free starting material, a greenhouse was purchased in Oosterbierum. After a major renovation, the greenhouse met all requirements for our virus-free crops.
