Schmincke has been developing and manufacturing its Horadam line of watercolors since 1881, and the company is now owned by the fourth generation of the original family. Today the Horadam line includes 110 colours, 70 of them formulated with a single pigment. Each colour has its own individually optimized formula.Schmincke has a reputation for using only the highest-quality natural gums, water-soluble resins, and pigments. For example, the company uses only Kordofan Gum Arabic from the southern Sahara region, and distinguishes between good and bad harvests or "vintages" of this natural resin as it selects its raw materials.