1939

The family business started back in 1939 when Carl & Gudrun Jepsen bought 5 acres of land at Norring Mølle, north of Aarhus Denmark, to start a nursery. In the beginning they produced vegetables, Cyklamen, Exacum and Helleborus. 

1963

In 1963 their son Knud Jepsen and his wife Ellen decided to build a nursery next to Carl’s. They fell in love  while becoming growers, growing kalanchoes. During the next 30 years, the couple expanded to more than 38.000 m2 greenhouse, R&D and work facilities, and took over the remaining land and nursery of Carl Jepsen.

 

1979

Queen® R&D activities began. The company started its Kalanchoe breeding department with the objective to raise the market standard for quality plants and optimise growing conditions. The passion and hard work have paid off and resulted in the broadest assortment of ethylene tolerant, high-quality Kalanchoes on the market.

1988

Growers worldwide began selling our elite material and cuttings under licence. 10 years later Queen® began selling as well. The demand rose quickly, and the company managed to establish itself as an innovative and serious competitor on the market recognised by several industry awards and novelty prizes.

1997

In 1992 their son Frands Jepsen joined the company. Five years later, in 1997, he became the managing director. Together with his wife Louise the couple took the company further by creating the Queen® brand and expanding operations to several places around the world.

 

2002

The first double flowering kalanchoes were introduced under the brand name RoseFlowers®. The revolutionary product extension and increased shelf life allowed easy access to new markets and development opportunities.

2004

Queen® entered into a partnership with Dalat Hasfarm in Vietnam to expand the cutting production and ensure optimal conditions for healthy plant growth.

 

2010
Queen® Turkiye, a joint venture in Turkey, was founded to keep up with the increasing demand for Kalanchoe cuttings worldwide and to supply the Turkish market with finished plants.

2010

With their great passion for the craftsmanship and professional skills within horticulture, the Korup brothers play a significant role in the expansion of the company and our daily operations. Today they own 10% of A/S Knud Jepsen. In 2010, Lars Korup established Queen® Türkiye and today he is responsible for the business unit. Søren Korup is in charge of the Queen® Flowers production in Denmark and Cut Specialist at Queen® Genetics.

2012
Another breeding innovation from Queen® revolutionised the market. With a minimum of 3 weeks flowering, Queen® CutFlowers set a stunning, new standard for the longevity in the cut flowers category and opened new market opportunities.

 

2013
The Queen® logo had a makeover and was now ready for the B2C market. On social media the flowers were known under the name Queen® Flowers. 

2014

Queen® Genetics was established and the product portfolio expanded. Apart from the Kalanchoe breeding program, Queen® Genetics started to focus on developing new crops that complement the Kalanchoe assortment and stand out for their increased shelf life and optimal growing habits. Today the assortment has been extended with an innovative portfolio of Succulents, Roses, Asters, Dahlia and Euphorbia Milii.

Today

Queen® is a leading kalanchoe brand, produced by one of the world's top award-winning breeders. As a company, Queen® is full-on committed to growing greener and making new steps towards more sustainable production. Within the next years, we aim to produce varieties of all colours with no use of growth regulators. Our product development will breed beautiful and naturally compact varieties, that will be grown with biological control only. It is an extensive and important focus.