Company: Agribio Holding B.V.
www.fides.nl, www.barberet.com, www.japanagribio.co.jp, www.germicopa.com, www.japanpotato.co.jp
Date investment: March 2010
Investment: Profit improvement, Buy-and-build
Status: Current investment

Agribio Holding B.V. (‘Agribio’) is a group of companies active in flower breeding and potato breeding with total sales of approximately € 129 million and circa 2,100 employees. The flower breeding business consists of Fides in The Netherlands (Chrysanthemum), Barberet & Blanc in Spain (Carnations) and Japan Agribio in Japan (petunia). The business has sales offices in the UK, USA, Colombia and Japan and production locations in Africa and Costa Rica. The potato breeding business consists of Germicopa in France and Japan Potato in Japan.

Agribio boasts of some recent major achievements, such as the development by Fides of Calandiva, a Kalanchoe with a double flower. Spanish Barberet & Blanc recently has customized a virus test based on molecular hybridisation. French Germicopa, breeder of the famous Charlotte potato, launched its very promising ‘Princesse Amandine’ new potato variety in 2009 with a prime time commercial on French TV.

H2 Equity Partners has acquired a controlling position. The investment thesis is to create additional shareholder value by creating a horticulture and potato breeding business unit, further integrating the different operating companies and initiating a growth strategy including add-on acquisitions to leverage the existing breeding, production and sales network.