Aris Horticulture Turns 100 Years Young
March 16, 2021 
Aris Horticulture recently commemorated its 100th anniversary in November 2020. Ira and Menno Yoder originally established the company as Yoder Brothers located in Barberton, OH. They purchased the business from an agricultural industrialist, O.C. Barber, who captured a leading position in the world’s match business, with an idea to bring industrial methods learned in agriculture to vegetables, mushrooms, and flowers.
Through scientific methods, technologies were used to develop the chrysanthemum into a year-round, worldwide crop. From there, the company became a global leader in mushrooms and horticulture. Expansion touched many parts of the globe, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, and California in the U.S., as well as areas in Canada and some European Union countries. Other production facilities were located in Kenya, Colombia, and the Canary Islands.
The knowledge gained over the years has been applied to many other crops, including azaleas, hibiscus and perennials. For example, Aris invested in perennials in 1996 and utilized its expertise in stock management to achieve both efficiency and clean stock.
We Have a Size for That
Today, what began as a sustainable agricultural farm is now one of the largest, diversified, vertically integrated greenhouse operations in the industry. The corporate office remains in Barberton, with production locations in Alva, FL (two farms); Lancaster, PA; and Leamington, Ontario in Canada. Aris is regularly listed as one of the largest North American growers with total growing space at around 2 million square feet; 2.75 million square feet of outdoor, saran-covered fields, and 435,000 square feet of outdoor field production. Combined total production space is nearly 5.5 million square feet.
Aris Horticulture consists of multiple divisions:
- Keepsake Plants Florida (finished and young plants) and Canada (finished products for mass retail and specialty. Tradewinds Hibiscus and Keepsake Azaleas are included in this division.
- Green Leaf Plants (PA): Perennials, including dianthus, herbs, grasses, and more (liners and unrooted). The perennial assortment (from top breeders) is considered one of the largest in North America.
- Must Have Perennials (IP): Brings new, innovative perennials to market, and provides support for the horticulture trade, from breeders to growers and propagators, retailers and end consumers.
- Aris Sales: Knowledgeable sales support team
Production includes a broad and diverse offering of young and finished plants, including unrooted cuttings, plugs, liners, and finished products. Aris Horticulture also produces a wide assortment of other garden and indoor blooming products, including Gediflora Belgian Mums, Syngenta Flowers’ Yoder Mums, Suntory Sun Parasol Mandevilla, and HBA Hydrangeas covering finished-container potted plants and a broad group of starter-plant product forms. Aris’ motto is “we have a size for that.”
Check out the timeline below for a closer look at the history of Aris.
1920
Ira and Menno Yoder founded Yoder Brothers, now Aris Horticulture Inc., in Barberton, OH. Production included vegetables and some flowering plants.
1930s-1940s
- Chrysanthemum production and breeding begins — a core product line for more than 70 years.
- Crop health, virus-indexing program developed — an industry first. Mum stock was sent to Canada during World War II and returned with verticillium wilt virus. Plant pathologist Conrad Olson developed virus-indexing protocol to save the mums, and it is the basis of current day practices.
- Bill Duffet hired as first mum breeder. He bred more than 300 varieties including chrysanthemums, carnations, and snapdragons.
1950s-1960s
- Yoder Brothers, Inc. becomes the largest horticulture company geared to supplying growers.
- First computer system installed to process orders/data company-wide.
- Production facilities added in Fort Myers and Alva, FL.
- Leamington, Ontario, Canada operation established in 1964 as a partnership with Atkins Flowers. New greenhouses built in 1965 to produce flowering potted plants for supermarket retail sales.
- Plant Patents replace breeder/grower agreements — First chrysanthemum patent received in 1965.
1970s – 1980s
- Expansion in Florida with purchase of Live Oak and Parrish farms.
- Pathology Lab established in Florida for certified cuttings from virus-free stock.
- Breeding programs begin for Tradewinds Hibiscus (1984) and Keepsake Azaleas (1989).
1990s
- Green Leaf Plants established in Smoketown, PA, adding perennials to the mix.
- International launch of Blooms of Bressingham perennials (1995).
- Introduction of Fleurettes — pot mums with small daisy flowers.
- Breeding breakthrough — Pelee is 1st bi-color pot mum.
- Marketing programs such as Bouquet Mum/Easter Egg Mum accelerate
2000s
- Yoder Brothers, Inc. name changes to Aris Horticulture, Inc. when the mum genetics and the internationally- known Yoder-mum brand name are sold to Syngenta Flowers in 2008.
- Keepsake Plants division established for Florida and Canada potted plant production.
- First clean stock, plant-health protocol is established for perennials.
- Flower Fields Alliance marketing initiative created to promote garden plant sales.
- Green Leaf Plants becomes an industry leader in dianthus production, including a tissue-culture-based clean-stock program.
- Green Leaf Plants establishes a trial garden for evaluation of perennials.
- Florida facility receives MPS Certification.
- Blooms of Bressingham’s company name changes to Must Have Perennials. The variety offering is marketed under the consumer-friendly Rozanne and Friends brand at retail with an innovative social media program and website.
- Geranium ‘Rozanne’ is named the Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial Plant of the Year in 2008 and the Royal Horticultural Society Plant of the Centenary in 2013. (‘Rozanne’ is a Must Have Perennials introduction).
2020
- Aris Horticulture, Inc. celebrates 100 years in business and is positioned for the future with diversified product lines through breeding, young plant production, and quality finished products.
- Must Have Perennials celebrates its 25-year anniversary.
- Geranium Rozanne is one of the world’s most popular flowers on Facebook with 107,000 likes.
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