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When Optimara Violets were first introduced in 1977, they represented the crowning achievement not only for Holtkamp Greenhouses (the developer of Optimara Violets), but for the African Violet industry as a whole. Beyond the obvious quality of their large, colorful blooms, Optimara Violets were the embodiment of nearly 50 years of research and development at Holtkamp Greenhouses.
Holtkamp Greenhouses: The Years Before Optimara
Greenhouse, IsselburgWhile the botanical history of African Violets (genus Saintpaulia) goes back to 1892, it was not until the late 1920s and 30s that research and development efforts began to yield those characteristics for which today's African Violets are recognized. Instrumental to these efforts was the work of Hermann Holtkamp, Sr., whose legacy would literally shape the growth of commercial African Violets. Through him, and the next generation of Holtkamps, came many innovations which, today, are often taken for granted.
Among the innovations contributed by Holtkamp Greenhouses are non-dropping flowers, continuous blooming and the single-crowned, Biedermeier-style of commercial propagation.The first Holtkamp variety was named "Saint Martin" in honor of Holtkamp's father-in-law, Martin Dorrenbach. In 1956, Holtkamp introduced the Rhapsodie trademark. It was under this name that the characteristic of non-dropping flowers made its historic debut. Prior to the development of this characteristic, in 1965, even the slightest movement might cause African Violets to loose or "drop" their flowers. Needless to say, this made shipping African Violets extremely difficult. The introduction of non-dropping flowers was, therefore, heralded as a key milestone in the growth of the commercial African Violet sector. Non-dropping flowers are now standard for all commercial growers.
From the mid-1960s until 1977, when the Optimara trademark was introduced, the development of non-dropping flowers was undoubtedly the most significant contribution to the industry. However, it was far from being Holtkamp's only contribution. During this same period, Holtkamp Greenhouses underwent a surge of growth, spurring the industry as a whole to grow with them. Worldwide sales were more than doubling every four years. To a considerable extent, this was due to the untiring work being conducted at Holtkamp's research and development facility, which was generating many new characteristics that would make African Violets not only more beautiful, but easier to grow.
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