Chr. Eggink B.V. is specialized in the production of Convallaria majalis throughout the year. The company was founded in 1881 by C. Eggink Sr. and has therefore a rich history but its future is now uncertain. The family owned company was passes from fathers to sons for generations but in this last generation there are only women in the family who don’t want to take over the business. This beautiful company should continue to exist as it is the only one who grows this nice product all year round.

De Convallaria is better known as the ‘Lily of the valley’ or ‘Mayclock’ and it is used frequently in the flower industry for brides work. The flowering sprouts are grown in France and Germany, after which Eggink grows them into a useable product. The germs are frozen at -2,5 degrees Celsius after they arrive at the company. Every week they thaw the bulbs and grow them, which takes 2,5 weeks.

The first thing we noticed as soon as we open the door of the cooling cell where hundreds of Convalarias are stored is a sweet fragrance that invades your nostrils. This scent is especially strong at night. In the past, the stamens which produce the strongest scent, were cut out at night and used for the Parfum industry. This is no longer being done, as nowadays the scent is replicated in laboratories.

De Convallaria is better known as the ‘Lily of the valley’ or ‘Mayclock’ and is a perennial flower which grows in wooded areas. She grows and blooms the best in a moist and fertile soil. The strong, sweet smell of its fine and pure white bells, gives you a fresh sense that the spring has arrived.

In the middle ages this flower was well known in France, where it symbolized happiness, renewal of life and spring. On the first of May, 1566, Charles IX created the tradition of giving a Lily of the valley to people who you wish to prosper. This tradition of giving a Lily of the valley on the first of May still remains in France up until today.