Syngenta acquires Floranova

Syngenta has announced it has completed the acquisition of Floranova, a respected flower and home garden vegetable seeds breeder with a broad portfolio and customers in more than 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 U.S. and Europe to the Middle East and Asia.

“I am proud of the achievements of Floranova during the period of my ownership; there has been exciting development and growth, particularly in the Asian markets,” said Jeff Colegrave, chairman of Floranova. “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.”

“We are excited about the purchase which will help growers to manage changing consumers’ demand for a wider variety of crops to choose from,” said Michael Kester, head of flowers, Syngenta. 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.”

Syngenta, with more than 2,300 employees in the flowers business, is a well-established player in the pot and bedding plants market, serving growers around the globe from its headquarters and seed processing facilities in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. It is known for breeding innovative varieties that offer outstanding performance, both for professional growers and retailers alike, in the landscape and the consumer garden segment.

“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.”