Biobest invests in Plant Products Inc.

Upon closing of the transaction, Biobest and the Stickles family will become joint owners of Plant Products, with Biobest holding a majority stake. Subsequently the activities of Plant Products Inc., Biobest Canada Inc., and Biobest USA Ltd. will be integrated in a new combined entity operating under the name Plant Products.

Plant Products will continue to focus on the needs of growers and will assist customers in choosing the best solutions from an integrated suite of products and services to efficiently manage their crops. Plant Products' unique position in the market is also based on a wide range of strong relationships with suppliers. The company will remain a trusted partner to all its suppliers.

Chris Stickles, current President of Plant Products, will become the President of the new entity and JF Bonal, current General manager of Biobest Canada/US will become the Vice President.

Jean-Marc Vandoorne-Feys, CEO of Biobest Group NV: "I am thrilled that we have this opportunity to invest in a company with which we have successfully collaborated for over 25 years. Plant Products has a very strong network of grower and supplier relationships in North America. Direct presence is essential to realise our mission of being the grower's most reliable partner in this important market where specialty horticulture is growing very quickly. North America is also the world's leading market for biocontrol, due at least in part, to a regulatory system that is conducive to innovation. With Plant Products, we are able to take a holistic approach to plant health and performance. North American growers can continue to rely on Plant Products for technical advice and a full toolkit of integrated pest management solutions.  I am very pleased that Chris Stickles will continue to lead Plant Products going forward, including the full integration of both organisations' excellent teams. I am confident this will benefit all our customers. The trusted Biobest brand remains a cornerstone of Plant Products' offering. As part of the new Plant Products biocontrol team, growers in both Canada and USA can continue to count on their Biobest technical advisors to now provide an even broader range of solutions."     

Chris Stickles, President of Plant Products Inc.: "We are excited to join forces with the Biobest team. Biobest strengthens Plant Products' global perspective of the horticulture industry, and that will benefit our customers. Plant Products' track record of growth demonstrates that we deliver consistent value to our customers and that our suppliers appreciate the unique strengths of our market approach. Together, we will further expand our global network of supplier partnerships, including biopesticides and tools for crop monitoring. We'll build on our momentum and further strengthen our footprint in Canada and the USA. I'm also excited about Biobest's commitment to innovation. Recent Biobest investments in high-tech horticulture, including digital solutions for advanced crop monitoring and robotic tools for crop surveillance and pollination, speak to Biobest's vision and compliment Plant Products' business. The benefits of such tools extend beyond pest control, and Plant Products is in a unique position to help our customers capture the full value of these developments."

About Biobest

Biobest Group NV is a global player in biological pest and disease control and bumblebee pollination of high value greenhouse and berry crops, Biobest exports weekly to over 70 countries worldwide. Biobest has local production and/or distribution subsidiaries strategically sited in 20 countries worldwide, plus an extensive network of local specialized distributors located in an additional 50 countries on six continents. Employing 1800 employees worldwide, our extensive production, supply chain, sales and technical advisory network provides an efficient global service delivering fresh quality product to countries every week using our highly specialized cold chain logistics.

Today our product portfolio features a comprehensive range of IPM solutions - including beneficial insects, predatory mites, bumblebees, insect pathogenic nematodes and biopesticides as well as monitoring, scouting and pheromones products.

Our highly skilled technical team - comprising 160 in-house and 250 distributor advisors - assists growers worldwide to provide best-in-class customized technical advice. To further enable the best possible results for growers, Biobest continually invests in research and development projects to innovate and improve our products and solutions as well as to develop digital tools to help growers collect and record information on pest and disease incidence, severity and distribution.

To learn more about Biobest, please visit Biobestgroup.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

About Plant Products

Plant Products is the North American value-added distributor of plant nutrition, plant protection, seed, and innovative consumables serving greenhouse, horticulture, nursery, lawn care, and professional turf customers for over 75 years.  It maintains locations in Laval, QC, Ancaster, ON, Westland, MI, and head office in Leamington, ON.  Partners of the company are able to leverage its many strengths, including technical sales, new product development, regulatory, marketing and logistics.  Plant Product's mission is to be the preferred distribution partner for our customers and suppliers within the specialty horticulture industry in Canada and the USA.

To learn more about Plant Products, please visit PlantProducts.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Source: Biobest Global