OUR HISTORY
The name Lumiforte was created in 2021 as the result of a merger between Sudlac SAS and Mardenkro BV and is part of the Horticoop Cooperative.
The French company Sudlac started operations in 1959 in Grenoble with the production of wall paint. In 1978, Sudlac halts the production of paint made with petroleum-based solvents and starts focusing on water-based products. A year later, a local grower asks Sudlac whether it has any products designed to remove whitewash from greenhouse covers. In response to this request, the company develops Varionet and Sudlac starts producing its first shading agent. In 1995, the shading agent Serra l’Ombre is introduced to the market. This product is later replaced by the Eclipse F-Series and, in addition, new, removable shading agents are also developed such as Eclipse LD, Transpar and the Topclear cleaning agent.
In 1986, Martin Kroeze, a Dutch citizen, founds the company Mardenkro in Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands. In 1991, Mardenkro introduces ReduSol to the market. In the Netherlands, and quickly also in the rest of the world, this shading agent became very popular in the greenhouse cultivation sector as a replacement of the generally used whitewash.
A few years later Mardenkro introduces ReduSol Xtra and the cleaning agent ReduClean. Today, ReduSol is sold in more than 65 countries.
In 2004, Mardenkro introduces ReduHeat. This product was a breakthrough for the greenhouse cultivation sector. ReduHeat’s innovative aspect is that it blocks infrared light, and this way prevents crops from becoming sunburned, while the coating allows PAR grow-light to pass through. ReduHeat wins the Innovation Award at the Horti Fair in Amsterdam.
In the following years, Mardenkro devotes a great deal of attention to the development of new coatings for specific purposes. In 2011, ReduFuse is introduced to the market. This coating diffuses incident light, which results in higher crop production and better crop quality. ReduFuse is perfectly suitable for application to covered vegetable crops. ReduFuse won the Horti Fair Innovation Award in 2011.
Yet another few years later, ReduFuse IR is developed in response to market needs. This product diffuses light and at the same time blocks heat radiation.
Since 2016, the company also develops products that are specifically designed for use in autumn and winter to get more light into the greenhouse. This includes the AntiReflect coatings and cleaning agents for greenhouse covers.
