{"id":2464,"date":"2021-05-26T17:35:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.graines-voltz.com\/group\/our-history\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T06:19:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T05:19:13","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.graines-voltz.com\/en\/group\/our-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Our story"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div>

History<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>

A family business<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

History<\/h2><\/div>

A flourishing family business<\/h3><\/div>

Serge Voltz first conceived the idea of setting up his own seed business at the age of 17, while consulting the catalogue of vegetables and flowers in his parents’ shop in Colmar. His objective was to invent a new system for professionals to order a wide range of seeds centrally at the best price\/quality ratio.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Portrait<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

In 1985, he founded Graines Voltz, 50 years after his grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Vesper, started his seed business in Colmar. Since the Second World War, Graines Voltz has been the only seed distribution company of its size to have been created in France. Its experts travel the world in search of the finest seed varieties, which are then offered to horticulturalists and market gardeners. Apart from varieties that grow in particular climates, a large part of the company’s catalogue is produced in France, and in Anjou in particular.<\/p>\n

Today, with 31,000 references, Graines Voltz is the leading independent family business in the distribution of seeds and young plants in France, and one of the leading companies in Europe.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Serge Voltz, soon joined by his brother Christian, Administrative and Financial Director, has surrounded himself with the best experts and technicians to support the company’s development. By 2023, Graines Voltz had more than 600 employees.<\/p>\n

Convinced that tomorrow’s agriculture would require healthier food that was more respectful of the environment and people, Serge Voltz developed his first range of organic vegetable seeds in 1998. In 2015, the company turned to organic farming, short distribution channels and diversity. More than 650 varieties are now available in the organic range alone.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/a><\/span>
<\/i>

1985\n1991<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/a><\/span>
<\/i>

1997\n2002<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/a><\/span>
<\/i>

2002\n2004<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/a><\/span>
<\/i>

2004\n2006<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/a><\/span>
<\/i>

2010\n2020<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/a><\/span>
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2020 …<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1985 \u2013 1991<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

A regional player is born in colmar<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

The company’s business is entirely devoted to selling flower and vegetable seeds. With its regional clientele alone, GRAINES VOLTZ achieved sales of one million francs in its first year.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Graines<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Graines<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1997 – 2002<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

EMERGENCE OF A NATIONAL LEADER<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

Convinced of the growing importance of young plants for its customers, in 1997 Graines Voltz created a synergy with Florensis, Europe’s leading producer of young flowering plants. The company diversified its supplies abroad and became France’s leading supplier of flowers to local authorities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2002 – 2004<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

CREATION OF A LOGISTICS CENTRE IN ANGERS<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

To guarantee its customers the speed and quality of its services, GRAINES VOLTZ deploys a major logistics organisation dedicated to bringing its seeds to market in the heart of France’s main horticultural production basin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Graines<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Graines<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Graines<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2004 – 2006<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

TWO PRIZES AWARDED TO GRAINES VOLTZ<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

2004, Performance Prize awarded by the daily newspaper Les Echos, “Development” category.<\/p>\n

2006, Grand Prix de l’Entrepreneur Grand Est awarded by the monthly magazine L’entreprise.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2010 – 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

STRONG EXTERNAL GROWTH<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

Graines Voltz successively acquired the companies BALL DUCRETTET, SAULAIS and PLAN ORNEMENTAL. This enabled the company to offer its customers a wider range of young plants “made in France” in the Angers region, as well as access to the world’s best genetics.<\/p>\n

Graines Voltz is continuing its external growth in Germany, where it is acquiring Hermina-Maier and Hild Samen, and in Italy, with the acquisition of Florensis Italia.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of 2022, Graines Voltz will expand its range by taking over the activities of Andr\u00e9 Briant Jeunes Plants.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Graines<\/span><\/div>
\"Graines<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Since 2020\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

GRAINES VOLTZ FOCUSES ON SOLUTIONS FOR TOMORROW:\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

    \n
  • Helping urban centres to protect themselves from the increasing vagaries of the climate by using low-water consumption perennial and perennial varieties and shrub and tree seedlings.<\/li>\n
  • Responding to consumer expectations and anticipating changes in lifestyles that increasingly favour vegetables over meat<\/li>\n
  • Propose product ranges for vertical farm production<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2458,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2464","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nVOLTZ, History of a successful family business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 35 years, VOLTZ has become the first independent family seed distribution company in France, and one of the leading in Europe.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.graines-voltz.com\/en\/group\/our-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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