It is already 'old news' but certainly worth mentioning. On July 26, it was announced that Syngenta has taken over Floranova, a flower and home garden vegetable seeds breeder with a broad portfolio and customers in over 50 countries.
Founded some 40 years ago in the U.K., Floranova has become well-known in the industry for its strong brand and for meeting the needs of growers in both established and emerging markets. In 2017, Floranova generated high single digit USD million sales with a broad customer base ranging from the US and Europe to the Middle East and Asia.
Jeff Colegrave, Chairman of Floranova said: “I am proud of what has been achieved at Floranova during the period of my ownership; there has been exciting development and growth, particularly in the Asian markets. The acquisition of Floranova by Syngenta is excellent news for all stakeholders and will mean Floranova will be stronger and better placed to face the challenges in a highly competitive market place."
Michael Kester, Head of Flowers at Syngenta, said: “We are excited about the purchase which will help growers to manage changing consumers’ demand for a wider variety of crops to choose from. Floranova’s complementary seeds offer covers some important gaps in Syngenta’s portfolio and brings flower seed crops like Pelargonium, Petunia, Begonia and a distinctive product line of patio vegetables, sold under the Vegetalis label.”
“Our intent is to maintain and leverage the Floranova brand in a dual brand concept,” Kester said. “Both Syngenta and Floranova will continue to operate as independent companies, with their own distribution and differentiated portfolio. This provides exciting new opportunities to strengthen our overall presence in the global flowers market,” he added.