OptiMara.com
Title
Holtkamp Greenhouses, Inc.
Description
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.
Prior to the 1970s, Holtkamp Greenhouses had a presence in the United States only through its licensed propagators which grew and marketed African Violets under the Rhapsodie trademark. All this changed, however, when Reinhold Holtkamp, the son of Hermann Holtkamp, Sr., set up operations in Nashville, Tennessee. Soon after, Reinhold introduced an entirely new trademark of African Violets. Barely a decade later, this trademark would represent the most recognized name of African Violets in the world. This trademark is, of course, "Optimara."
