History of Peha
“The roots of Peha begin on a 'Potship' and continues on the mainland in 1918”
How it all began
Peha (PH) are the initials of Petrus Hoomans, the founder of the company. Just before the end of the 19th century, in 1899, Johannes Petrus Hoomans left for the United States to try his luck. After some earnings, he returned to The Netherlands. He borrowed money and had a Potship built, a typical boat from the Frisian region. In the spring of 1905 the ship was launched and he sailed throughout the south-west corner of the province with a very extensive package of household goods to sell. In the village and region he was loved, because he always had something new on board. He always looked around for what people could use.
Since 1918
In 1918, just after the First World War, Petrus Hoomans sold his ship and continued his business on the mainland in Sneek. The store ran smoothly and gradually he became a wholesaler. Cycling through the Friesland province he visited shops to sell his products. In the 30’s the crisis broke out. The banking world collapsed and a difficult period started. Petrus Hoomans’ son Pieter took over and rebuilt the business. After the Second World War, Pieter sold the business and from this moment the company started trading Christmas articles. In the fifties the company experienced a big growth which resulted in the establishment of a central warehouse in 1963. Shortly after, Peha decided to focus on the import and export of Christmas articles only and is since then still going strong!