Germinal has announced that it has sold the Morton’s brand to Fane Valley Stores Limited.
This decision by the Germinal Group is a result of Germinal’s intention to concentrate on its variety development, seed production and marketing activities, the company has said.
Morton’s is a direct-to-farm retail business operating throughout Northern Ireland.
Explaining the decision, group managing director William Gilbert said: “We are grateful for the support of Morton’s customers and suppliers over the years, and we see the sale of Morton’s to Fane Valley as a great fit for both companies, which will maximise the undoubted strengths of the Morton’s brand and personnel.
Germinal has invested heavily in R & D (research and development) and production infrastructure over the last few years and this development will allow us to concentrate on our core business of new variety development, seed production, marketing and wholesale sales.
Germinal has key relationships with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS, Aberystwyth University) in Wales, and Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority in Ireland, the group has said.
William Gilbert
Along with partnerships with many overseas plant breeders, these relationships form an important part of the group’s future research and development programmes, investing in sustainable intensification through plant breeding.
Recent investments by Germinal include a £1.5 million (€1.7 million) state-of-the art mixing, packing and palletising facility and additional storage capacity at its British facilities, in addition to the establishment of its own research station in southern England to spearhead a new programme of trials and variety development.
Installation of a similar mixing, packing and palletising facility is underway in Germinal Ireland, and investment continues in plant breeding, both at IBERS and at Germinal’s own site in New Zealand.
Gilbert concluded, noting: “We feel that this strategic move will result in success for all involved and allow Germinal to focus on delivering the high standards expected of the Germinal brand to our customers and other partners.”
