History
We’ve started small but we’ve always aimed high. Find out more about our history below.
1976
Dr Heinrich Mannebeck – known as the father of modern olfactometry in Germany – starts developing the TO series olfactometers.
1989
Frans Vossen and Ton van Harreveld establish PRA BV, a company specialised in environmental odour assessment.
1993
PRA BV becomes Odournet.
1996
As a spin-off of Kiel University, ecoma GmbH is founded by Heinrich Mannebeck and his children Dorothee and Dietmar Mannebeck. A company with an initial focus on instrument development, ecoma becomes the world’s leading supplier of odour laboratory technologies and odour measurement equipment.
2001
OLFAtec is founded as an ecoma subsidiary. Its focus lies on sensory product and material testing, and it becomes the first company in the world to be accredited for the Interlaboratory Comparison (ILC) EN 13725 testing scheme that is still in use today.
2010
Odournet merges with ecoma GmbH and OLFAtec GmbH, seizing the opportunity to sustain innovation by pooling talents and ideas.
2016
Odournet GmbH and Odournet NL B.V. are renamed to Olfasense, after the shareholders of Odournet decide to split the company into two separate groups, which results in a spinoff of the Dutch and the German branch companies.
2018
Olfasense opens a new laboratory for molecular odour evaluation, containing the latest in cutting-edge technologies for GC-MS and GC-sniffing services, further strengthening the position of Olfasense as the global supplier of choice for industry-leading odour testing services.
2020
Odournet UK Ltd, founded in 1994 as part of Odournet group, joins the Olfasense group. With offices in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, Olfasense is excited to expand its reach to the UK with offices in Bristol and Manchester, and to welcome 20 new team members focussed on delivering odour testing and assessment expertise on board.
today
We’ve come a long way, and we’re still aiming high. Our goal is to maintain our position as a major specialist odour consultancy and the world’s leading supplier of odour measurement equipment, while also expanding our activities in the complementary fields of human sensory analysis and molecular testing.
