HISTORY
During the years of 1965 and 1982, Lourens van Geest and his father, Ivo Jan van Geest, owned a cut flower production farm in Naaldwijk, in the Westland, Netherlands. They specialised in growing carnations, freesia and lillies. Then in 1983, the nursery was sold and Lourens van Geest emigrated to South Africa with his wife and children to work for Pieter Toxopeus, buying cut flowers for Flower World florists at the Multiflora auction in Johannesburg.
Just two years later in 1985, Pieter Toxopeus and Lourens van Geest started LVG Plants (Lourens Van Geest) supplying pot plants to nurseries and retail stores with production facilities in Muldersdrift, Rustenburg, Natal and Venda. Lourens oversaw production for all these sites for many years. A decade on and the van Geest family purchased 100% of the shares in LVG Plants, and rented production space in Muldersdrift.
LVG Plants made history when in 1996 they built the first 5000 m² greenhouse in Oaktree, Krugersdorp. Three years on, LVG Plants and Peba House Plants started a joint venture, Plantimex in Heuningklip. Through Plantimex, both family farms and other fellow industry suppliers were able to offer a complete range of products to nurseries and retail.
To centralize production, a space spanning 40.000 m² was completed in Oaktree and work shifted from Muldersdrift in 2004. For a solid decade, growth bloomed and further production space expanded. Then in 2014, LVG Plants purchased 100% of the shares in Plantimex and sales and distribution offices moved to the LVG Plants premises.
Not more than a year later in 2015, LVG Plants built the largest solar thermal plant in the Southern Hemisphere and now in 2022 an additional greenhouse of 10.000m² was added to the LVG premisis, adding further production space to a grand total 110.000m².
With much growth and regrowth, LVG Plants proudly celebrated its 35 year anniversary in 2020.
