An iconic brand story

History of Surfinia®

1985

Breeding Surfinia®

Japan, 1987, Suntory®, a Japanese company famous for its whisky’s, beers and wines, decides to set up a flower division: Suntory® Flowers Ltd. The reason is their discovery of a new Petunia variety with great growing and flowering characteristics.

Surfinia® testing fields in Japan
1987

How it all began…

At the same time, MNP, what was then known as Moerheim New Plant BV, is busy making professional connections with foreign companies. Through these connections, they hear about the steps that Suntory® is taking into the horticultural market. MNP sees potential in the new Petunia that they have created and soon the first conversations between MNP and the breeders of Suntory® start.

Suntory Flowers Ltd. breeding team
1988

Marketing Surfinia®

MNP pitches its marketing plans for Surfinia® in Europe at Suntory® in Japan. MNP receives the first Surfinia® cuttings from breeding to test and select in The Netherlands. The marketing plan is approved and the introduction of Surfinia® in Europe could be prepared. The rest is history!

Surfinia® girl (8 years old)
1989

Surfinia® Purple

The result is a unique cooperation between Suntory® Flowers Ltd. and MNP, in which MNP obtained the rights for all Suntory® genetics in Europe, Middle-East and Africa. Together, they introduce Surfinia®: the first trailing Petunia produced from cuttings. The Surfinia® Purple.

Surfinia | petunia | 478 | Sunpurple | Purple 9

Surfinia® Purple
1990

Consumers meet Surfinia®

“At this point in time the first 800 cuttings from Surfinia® Purple, Purple Mini and Purple Brilliant were planted at grower Aartsen in The Netherlands. This is also when the promotion for growers and consumers starts.

balcony twined with flowers of petunias on facade of the house on the Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy

Surfinia® Purple
1992

A million Surfinia®’s sold

The introduction of Surfinia® in Europe is a big success and soon other European licensees like Kientzler, Lazzeri, Boyard, Muller, Four Oaks and Hanson are welcomed. Surfinia® gets its official plant breeders rights and Surfinia’s  are planted at the Floriade in Zoetermeer (The Netherlands). At the end of this year there are more than a million Surfinia’s sold in Europe, a real milestone.

Surfinia® in Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
1993

Joined promotion

The first European Surfinia® meeting takes place at MNP in The Netherlands, together with all Surfinia® licensees.

One of the first Surfinia® advertisements from Japan
1995

25 million Surfinia’s sold

More than over 25 million Surfinia’s are sold during this year.

Wall mounted hanging baskets with trailing vibrant white and pink surfinia flowers

Surfinia® Purple
1999

50 milion anniversary

More over than 5o million Surfinia’s are sold in Europe this year alone.

SURFINIA® Deep Red | Colors your city

Surfinia® Deep Red
2010

Sales record of 65 million

All sales record are broken. This year there were more than 65 million Surfinia® sold in Europe.

Dutch Surfinia® Comic strip (Michel de Boer)
2017

Second generation Surfinia®

Sales is steady around 50 million Surfinia’s each year. Intro second generation of Surfinia® Trailing Red and Surfinia® Trailing Ocean Blue, with the most early flowering of all Surfinia® varieties. They flower 1 week earlier than Surfinia® Deep Red and 2 weeks earlier than all classic types!

# Suntory Flowers Ltd. receives Horticulture Innovation Award from International Society of Horticultural Science.
ishs.org
gpnmag.com
nurserymag.com

Surfinia® Trailing Red
2018

Re-branding Surfinia®

Kick-off Surfinia® 30 years anniversary! Surfinia®, market leader for almost 30 years. In 2019, additional promotions will follow for license holders and gardeners. In 2020, special promotions for consumers will follow.

# Surfinia® Deep Red receives Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.

Old and new Surfinia® logo

Guinness World Record

Surfinia® wins Guinness World Record for tallest Topiary sculpture in Dubai.

Surfinia® Petunia
2019

30th anniversary for licensees

MNP and Suntory® Flowers Ltd., proudly celebrate the 30th anniversary of Surfinia® – an iconic flower that you will find everywhere in the world. To celebrate this major milestone and hence, express our gratitude to you for working together with us to help Surfinia® rise up till what is has become, we want to present you a special token of our appreciation. A perfect symbol of what Surfinia® stands for: a beautiful, natural product that has the power to brighten up the streetviews of the world. It doesn’t matter where you live or who you are, Surfinia® suits you. Every person. Every garden. And every city. Then. Now. And for the upcoming 30 years. Check out the anniversary catalogue >

Surfinia® 30th anniversary logo

Surfinia® 30th anniversary (copper trowel)

Beekenkamp (Ann Beekenkamp, Jeroen Egtberts & Marc Driessen)

Syngenta

Syngenta Flowers (Michael Kester & Jeroen Egtberts)

Florensis (Leo Hoogendoorn & Jeroen Egtberts)

Van Veen

M. van Veen B.V. (Jeroen Egtberts, M. van Veen & Albert van Veen)

G3 Ungplanter (v? & Klaas Droog)

Surfinia® 30th anniversary | Volmary

Volmary (Yoav Scholz & Jeroen Egtberts)

Haberschill Végétal (Pierre Haberschill, Cyril Haberschill & Klaas Droog)

Surfinia® 30th anniversary | Kientzler

Kientzler Jungpflanzen (Ludwig Kientzler & Jeroen Egtberts)

Plantpol Sp. z o. o. (Klaas Droog & Jerzy Starzyński)

Surfinia® 30th anniversary | Lazzeri

Lazzeri (Jeroen Egtberts & Andrea Lazzeri)
2020

Store actions for consumers

Coming soon…

Surfinia® banner at MNP, Leimuiderbrug (The Netherlands)
future 2049
MNP / Suntory logo

MNP / Suntory from the Netherlands is the company behind this successful brand. At this “house of brands” in Leimuiderbrug is where the magic happens: powerful brands are created after extensive tests and accurate selections of the highest quality genetics of indoor & outdoor plants coming from Suntory Flowers Ltd. (breeder) in Japan. MNP / Suntory gives custody for production of our products to carefully selected growers (propagators) in Europe, which we call our licensees; meanwhile, innovative stories are written. For this reason, we are the plant pioneers! “Pioneers & trendsetters in breeding, selecting, marketing and licensing of innovative and superior quality (bedding) plants.”

To experience what characterises our unique products, you cannot miss a single one of “the plant pioneers” brands, click on the logos to discover them!