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Hotraco Anniversary: 50 Years of Innovation and Growth
This year, Hotraco Group celebrates its 50th anniversary—a milestone we are marking in a big way. For this special occasion, we have compiled a timeline that showcases Hotraco’s growth through a number of groundbreaking moments from our past. With this timeline, along with interviews and articles, we look back at our history. For this first article, we asked Chris Beelen, one of the founders, to reflect on Hotraco’s early years.
Article 1: The Formation of Hotraco
In the early seventies, three pioneers were determined to achieve technological innovation in agriculture. Not long after, the three gentlemen each went their separate ways. One of these gentlemen was Chris Beelen. Shortly after he married Anny in 1974, they officially registered Hotraco with the Chamber of Commerce. And only in 2013, almost forty years later, did they hand over the management of Hotraco.
Chris on his youth: "I grew up among the pigs and chickens on my parents' farm. Soon after completing my technical education in Venlo, Anny and I started the company from an old pigsty." Chris' interest in technology, entrepreneurship, and the agricultural world was at the core of Hotraco from the beginning. "It was always the combination of technology and entrepreneurship that drove me."
The First Controls and Panels
"We started simply with transformers and thermostats. With step and rotary phase controllers, we could manage the climate in barns." Hotraco’s first growth spurt came with the sale of panels. "As early as 1974, we began selling panels. We were one of the first companies to integrate various controls and devices into a single panel, which offered considerable advantages. This gave us a unique position in the market. Hotraco’s renowned controllers came later. In the mid-eighties, we started developing the HDC, our first proprietary computer, with our own R&D department."
Contracts on a Beer Coaster
When we ask Chris about memorable moments from the early years, he speaks nostalgically about a time when business was very personal. “Contracts could, figuratively speaking, be signed on a beer coaster. These days, everything is more distant; you send an email or an app. Those old times will never come back, but I'm glad I experienced them."
Curious about Part 2? In the coming weeks, we will delve deeper into the history of Hotraco. Follow us on social media to stay updated.