International company with a good reputation

Rolf C. Hagen Inc., the parent company of the globally active Hagen Group, was founded in 1955 in Montreal by a man who literally sowed a fertile seed in the market. German immigrant Rolf C. Hagen began his business selling grain cultivated by Canadian farmers in his native country. As the business expanded, he was joined by his brothers Horst and Dieter, and the firm grew far beyond its original purpose: it started selling packaged pet accessories in North America and Europe.
A lot has changed in the five decades that have followed. The once small firm of Rolf C. Hagen Inc. has grown into one of the biggest pet accessory companies in the world. Its president is Rolf Hagen Jr. (Rolf Hagen chairs the board of directors) and it is still a family firm with deep roots in the industry and a keen sense of what makes the pet product business tick.
Rolf C. Hagen is based in Montreal.
Although the company has expanded in various directions, it has always remained true to its original philosophy. This is to combine the latest developments in pet keeping with up-to-date design and product research, in order to give pet owners solutions that offer convenience, product quality and added value for the user while providing the highest standard of animal care.
Whether in the aquatics, bird, small animal or reptile segment, Hagen has acquired a reputation as a company that strives not to “run with the pack” when it comes to introducing a new product, but rather to raise the standard higher. For example, the “AquaClear” external power filter produced by the firm was the first aquarium filter to work not with motor parts but with a more reliable and efficient magnetic impeller motor.
Rolf C. Hagen and Rolf C. Hagen Jr.
Hagen has built on this philosophy in the last 50 years, developing into a multi- faceted international company with over 1 000 employees that sells food and accessories for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, small animals and garden ponds to around 60 countries. Quality products together with skilful marketing have made brands like “Fluval”, “Aqua Clear”, “LivingWorld”, “Exo Terra” and “Laguna” popular products with pet owners the world over. The hunger for innovation at Hagen has remained strong, even since the company has grown to a size that few could have imagined 50 years ago, and it maintains a steadfast commitment to research and development. This commitment is evident in the Hagen Avicultural Research Institute, which was founded in 1985 to research the…