About Us

As a young child, Piet loved collecting cacti and soon realized that he could earn a living from this passion. At just 18 years of age he moved to Barcelona to work at a botanical nursery in Blanes, it was here that his enthusiasm for cacti intensified. In the late 1960’s he started importing and exporting larger plants from various countries of the world, followed soon after by importing and exporting cacti and succulent seeds. It was in the mid-1970’s that Piet opened his own nursery and began growing himself too. He knew from an early age that if he was to become the best in his trade then he had to travel and explore the various origins, he needed to understand the habitat of the plants. This journey led him to the discovery of new species in addition to finding long-term partners for the business. This adventure meant he travelled thousands of kilometers driving through Brazil, South-Africa, Mexico, Bolivia and Peru amongst others.

One of the first things he did when he had his own nursery was the innovative installation of heating lights which enabled him to obtain cacti with flowers, much earlier than others. This meant that people could enjoy cacti with flowers also during the winter time, instead of only during the spring and summer. Later on he explored the Brazilian and South African markets of dry flowers which could be painted with every color of the rainbow.

In December 1994, Piet and Odile welcomed twins Jessica and Debra. Since then they have shared countless beautiful memories of all the travelling done as a family, holidays became a mix of work and pleasure. In 2019, Debra joined the company and is now working together with her mother to continue the legacy of Piet van den Oever.

Piet was an icon for many in the cacti and succulent world and will always be remembered as one, highly regarded for his knowledge and known for his kindness and sense of humour, his legacy continues through the many warm memories that family, friends, business partners, and growers have of him.