Dæhnefeldt lagde Kimen Frøfirmaet fik hurtigt verdensry. Det blev sønnen, Christian Dæhnefeldt, der med systematik og planlægning lagde grunden til det fynske frøfirmas verdensry. "Blandt de foregangsmænd, hvortil vort land i disse tunge tider sætter deres største lid, nævnes i første række Chr. Dæhnfeldts navn med hæder". Sådan kunne man læse den 2. oktober 1918 i medlemsbladet for Landsforeningen Dansk Arbejde. Dengang havde navnet Dæhnefeldt en festlig klang i danske øre, hævder bladet. I dag spiller firmaet med engelske overtoner. Verdensry havde det fynske frøavlerfirma allerede for 50 år siden. Det hele startede da gamle Ludvig Dæhnefeldt i en alder af 33 år åbnede sin beskedne butik i Vestergade, Odense, den 1. januar 1950. Herfra solgte han gartneriprodukter og handlede med frø. Frøene blev købt hjem fra Tyskland og England for alle vidste dengang, at det danske klima ikke egnede sig til frøavl. Hans Gartneri lå ved det gamle forlystelsessted Pantheon, hvor Pantheonsgade i dag går igennem. 22. maj 1857 blev sønnen Christian Dæhnefeldt født, og han skabte senere firmaets verdensry. 16 år gammel kom han i gartnerlære og efter endt uddannelse, havde han i 1884 overtaget hele faderens virksomhed. På det tidspunkt var gartneriet på grund af byudvidelse flyttet ud til Hunderup. Dansk produktion I 1891 begyndte den unge Dæhnefeldt at avle frø på 12 tønder land af gartneriet i Hunderup. Han var pioner på området, og de store tyske frøfirmaer trak medlidende på smilebåndet af den lille danske konkurrent. Men Christian Dæhnefeldt havde talent, og han forstod at knytte dygtige medarbejdere til firmaet. Snart dækkede hans frømarker større og større arealer. Udover Hunderupgård købte han to andre forsøgsgårde, Hinderupgård og Nyhunderupgård. Dæhnefeldt blev istand til at eksportere store mængder frø ikke blot til Tyskland men også mange andre lande. Fremsyn Fidusen var system og fremsyn. Frø- og planteavl var dengang endnu mere end i dag en langsigtet og langsommelig affære. I en tid hvor kontrol af frø var ukendt, og en fabrik i Hamburg lavede vellignende kløverfrø af småsten, satte Dæhnefeldt ind med kvalitet og stabile leverencer. Virksomheden krævede efterhånden et større og større apparat af systematisk stamfrøavl, renserier, tørrerier og kontrolmarker, og dertil kom så hele afsætnings- og eksportområdet. Firmaet har gennem alle årene lagt stor vægt på forædlingsarbejdet, og det er også på det feldt, man den dag i dag er førende på verdensmarkedet med forsøgs- og forædlingsstationen Danefeld 10 kilometer øst for Odense. L. Dæhnefeldts første gartneri lå ved det gamle forlystelsessted Pantheon. Senere bredte byen sig, og Pantheonsgade blev dannet. Gartneriet flyttede ud til Hunderup. Men Chr. Dæhnefeldt kunne mere end avle frø og planter. Når rocken ruller henover Munke Mose tænker de færeste nok på, at det var ham, der i 1912 skabte mosen og betalte regningen. Mosen blev købt af kommunen i 1883, og knap 30 år senere tog Chr. Dæhnefeldt initiativ til at omdanne mosen med søer og plæner, som vi kender den i dag. På Frøbjerg Bavnehøj havde han også en finger med i spildet. Samme år som Munke Mose blev omdannet, blev der anlagt en mindepark på 14 ha. omkring Frøbjerg Bavnehøj, og det var også på Chr. Dæhnefeldts regning. Havebyen Det mest idealistiske forehavende, som Chr. Dæhnefeldt havde, var nok, hvad der tidligere hed "Dæhnefeldts Haveby". I 1919 købte han godt 800.000 kvadratmeter jord mellem Rugårds Landevej og de daværende nord- og vestfynske jernbaner. Det kostede halvanden krone per kvadratmeter. Hans ide var at skabe nogle ideelle boliger for sine arbejdere. Der skulle anlægges veje, haveanlæg og legepladser. Men han indså hurtigt, at selv den mest økonomiske arbejder, ikke ville kunne klare huslejen. Personligt skød han derfor 2 - 300 kroner til per hus i lejebistand. Senere kom stedet til at hedde "Dæhnfeldts Villaby", og fuldt udbygget kom den til at omfatte 76 huse, men kun 12 af dem blev et resultat af hans sociale forståelse og filantropiske indsats. Tyske frøfirmaer havde hele markedet inden Chr. Dæhnefeldt kom på banen med dansk produceret kvalitets-frø. Ludvig Dæhnefeldts søn, Christian, forstod at knytte dygtige medarbejdere til firmaet, og i 30'erne var Dæhnefeldt frø verdenskendte.

Dæhnefeldt sowed the seed The seed company soon gained world renown. It was the son, Christian Dæhnefeldt, who with organization and planning established the world renown of the seed company from Fyn. "Among the leaders, in whom our country in these heavy times place its greatest trust, Chr. Dæhnfeldts name is one of the first to be honorably". That's how it read on October 2, 1918 in the membership publication the National Organization of Danish Workers. Back then the name Dæhnefeldt sounded merrily in Danish ears, claimed the magazine. Today the company plays with British overtones. The seed company from Fyn enjoyed world renown already 50 yeas ago. It all started when old Ludvig Dæhnefeldt at the age of 33 opened his modest shop in Vestergade, Odense, on January 1, 1950. From here he sold gardening products and seeds. The seeds were imported from Germany and England, because back then everyone knew the Danish climate was unsuitable for seed production. His nursery was located at the old amusement establishment Pantheon, where Pantheonsgade goes through today. May 22, 1857 his son Christian Dæhnefeldt was born, and he later created the world renown of the company. At age 16 he became apprenticed to a gartner and by 1884, having finished his education, he took over his father's entire company. At that time, due to urban sprawl, the nursery was moved out to Hunderup. Danish production In 1891 young Dæhnefeldt began to cultivate seeds on about 16 acres of the nursery in Hunderup. He was a pioneer in the field, and the big German seed companies smiled condescendingly at the tiny Danish competitor. But Christian Dæhnefeldt had talent, and he knew how to attach skilled workers to his company. Soon his seed fields covered ever larger areas. In addition to Hunderupgård he bought two other experimental farms, Hinderupgård and Nyhunderupgård. Dæhnefeldt soon could export large amounts of seed not only to Germany, but many other countries as well. Vision The trick was organization and vision. Back then seed and plant cultivation was, even more so than today, a longterm and slow undertaking. At a time when seed control was unheard of, and a factory in Hamburg made lifelike clover seeds from tiny stones, Dæhnefeldt came in with quality and reliable delivery. The company in time required an ever larger apparatus of systematic cultivation of certified seeds, cleaning and drying facilities, and test fields, and in addition the entire division of sales and exports. Throughout all those years the company has greatly emphasized processing work, and it is also in this area they even today lead the world market with the test and processing station 6 miles east of Odense. L. Dæhnefeldt's first nursery was located at the old amusement establishment Pantheon. Later the city expanded, and Pantheonsgade was created. The nursery was moved out to Hunderup. But Chr. Dæhnefeldt could do more than cultivate seeds and plants. When the rock rolls across Munke Mose few people probably ponder the fact that he was the one who in 1912 created the place and paid the bill. The moor was bought by the greater city in 1883, and almost 30 years later, Chr. Dæhnefeldt took the initiative to change to moor to lakes and lawns as we know it today. In Frøbjerg Bavnehøj he also had a piece of the action. The same year Munke Mose was refurbished, a 35 acre memorial park was established at Frøbjerg Bavnehøj, also on Chr. Dæhnefeldt's dime. The Garden Town The most idealistic undertaking by Chr. Dæhnefeldt was probably what was once known as "Dæhnefeldt's Garden Town". In 1919 he bought 200 acres of land between Rugårds Landevej and the then North and Westfunen railroads. It cost 1.50 DKR per square meter. His idea was to create ideal housing for his employees. Roads would be laid out, along with gardens and playgrounds. But he soon realized that even the most thrifty worker would not be able to afford the rent. Personally he supplemented each house with 200 to 300 DKR in rent subsidies. Later the place was known as "Dæhnfeldt's Village Town", and completely finished it came to encompass 76 houses, but only 12 of them resulted from his social understanding and philanthropic efforts. German seed companies owned the market until Chr. Dæhnefeldt entered the game with Danish produced quality seed. Ludvig Dæhnefeldt's son, Christian, knew how to attach skilled workers to the company, and in the 1930s Dæhnefeldt seeds were world famous.