Our North Limburg roots are now quite literally rooted in Ethiopia.
Linssen Roses was originally a family farm from the village of Hout-Blerick, belonging to the municipality of Venlo, and focused on farming vegetables. In 1989, the company started to grow flowers, replacing its tomatoes and lettuce with cut roses.
Our very first roses were the red Madelon and the yellow Frisco. Back then, the company was still located in the North Limburg village outside Venlo. Until 2000, we kept expanding our company within Hout-Blerick. Then we set our sights on expanding abroad.
From father to son
Peter, Ruud, and Hans grew up in and with the company. When they were still young, they started lending a helping hand and very soon it became clear this new generation would one day take over the company. After completing their studies, the three young men worked alongside their father and finally took the reins in 1999. Since then, Linssen Roses’ activities have continued to expand substantially. And, of course, ‘mum and dad’ are still happy to contribute.
A new world
In 2001, Linssen Roses wanted to expand beyond the Netherlands. Our first rose farm abroad was the Flower Business Park in Naivasha, Kenya. Not long after that, we were able to set up the very first Dutch rose farm in the small town of Addis Alem, Ethiopia. The literal translation of Addis Alem is ‘a new world’. This had a very special meaning to us because it seemed so true to our circumstances.
The company in Kenya was sold in 2008 and starting 2010 the Dutch production was gradually decreased. Since 2013, we have been cultivating our roses exclusively in Ethiopia. We have substantially expanded this Ethiopian rose farm over the years to the current size of 65 hectares.
