The company
In 1990, Dick and Maria van Geest started ImZaadEx BV, a company specialising in the export of Cacti & Succulent seeds.
It all started in 1920, when Dirk van Geest started collecting cacti and succulents in his small greenhouse in Naaldwijk in the Netherlands. 
In 1950, three of his sons, Leen, Wim and Jaap, began growing cacti on a commercial basis. Soon Leen van Geest had a cactus nursery of 12 acres, and grew 2-3 million of cacti a year! Together with Wim and Jaap, on adjacent acres, there was a total of 30 acres of cacti and succulents, of which 20 under glass.
In 1976, Dick van Geest, oldest son of Leen van Geest, with the experience he had working in his fathers greenhouses, was invited to Peru to work for a business relation. This company was called "South-American Plants", and cultivated cacti from seeds and explored Peru, Bolivia and Chile for more interesting species.
In 1979 he decided to start his own business, bought a piece of land in Peru, and started to sow and grow cacti and succulent seeds and plants.
In 1990 ImZaadEx BV was founded. And now based in The Netherlands.
The company flourished and at the moment ImZaadEx BV exports to over 30 countries all over the world!
What started out as a hobby of his grandfather, Dick van Geest, together with his wife Maria del Carmen Alguiar, are now the owners of a successful international business, with roots in Peru and The Netherlands.
The seeds
All seeds are professionally cleaned with advanced machines and can be selected in size and weight and can be prepared for pilling, this to increase their viability and to prevent a lot of diseases and fungus.
Meet the team
Dick van Geest
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Maria van Geest
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Dick van Geest was born in The Netherlands, worked for several years in Peru, and at the moment he is living and working in The Netherlands. |
Maria studied at San Jose de Cluny in Lima, Peru, and graduated as an Industrial Engineer at "Universidad de Lima" in 1983. In 1982 Dick and Maria got married and from that time on they worked as a team in the world of cacti and succulents. |
What we do
Im- en export cactus- en succulent seeds. Offering a wide variety of high quality common and unusual cactus- & succulent seeds. All seeds are freshly collected by professionals or produced at our nursery in Santa Eulalia, Peru.
What we also do
- Handling of dried Heliocrysum flowers for cacti
- Salesagent for Kuma Plastics, plastic pots sizes 5.5 cm up to 18 cm
- Salesagent for Albani, cacti-succulents seedlings cultivated at Albani and Ruggieri nurseries in Italy
- Producer larger cacti in sizes Ø 30 cm up to Ø 60 cm, Echinocactus Grusonii and Ferocactus Horridus