Bert R Hybels

What Bert R Hybels does

Bert R. Hybels, Inc. is a family-owned wholesale plant and flower marketing organization founded in 1957 and headquartered at 3322 Grand Prairie Rd, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The company operates as the unified sales, marketing, and distribution agent for 13 independent greenhouse growers in the Kalamazoo area — a structure it describes as "14 businesses working as one." Collectively, the represented growers operate more than 100 acres of greenhouse capacity and produce approximately 2 million flats plus more than 200,000 hanging baskets, perennials, specialty items, and geraniums annually. The product portfolio includes bedding annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs, hanging baskets, patio pots, mums, geraniums, pansies and violas, Wave Petunias, Proven Winners varieties, succulents, strawberries, and ornamental cabbage and kale, anchored by an exclusive brand portfolio (Chef Jeff's Vegetables, Gardener's Choice Perennials, Grand Prairie Farms Perennials, Garden Stars Annuals, Bert's Best, Garden Jewels, Garden Envy, Garden Accents) reserved for independent garden center customers.

The company sells exclusively to independent garden centers, landscapers, and retail nurseries — explicitly avoiding big-box retail — across 25+ U.S. states spanning the Midwest, South, Great Lakes, and parts of the Mountain West. Go-to-market is sales-led through six regional sales representatives who provide personalized service and crop-planning support, complemented by a password-protected online sales portal and Point of Purchase merchandising materials.

Revenue is generated through wholesale plant marketing fees and transaction-based sales. Distribution is internalized through All Seasons Express, a wholly-owned trucking subsidiary operating 45 year-round trucks and 100+ seasonal trucks, supported by a 37-door, 36,000-square-foot warehouse and cross-docking facility in Kalamazoo. The business has reportedly doubled in size over the past six years, and the company remains under family ownership with no disclosed private equity, venture, or strategic investor involvement.

Name

Bert R Hybels

Legal name

Bert R. Hybels, Inc.

Website

https://hybels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bert R. Hybels, Inc., founded in 1957 and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is a family-owned wholesale plant marketing organization representing 13 growers that serves independent garden centers, landscapers, and nurseries across more than 25 U.S. states through a regional sales rep network and in-house trucking subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Plant Nursery

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Potted Flowering Plants & Bedding Plants Production (Annuals, Perennials, Plugs) (AFAGAHAE), Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens) (AFAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale plant nursery
• Bedding plants
• Garden center supply
• Perennial plants
• Floral distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: Bert R. Hybels generates revenue through wholesale plant and flower sales to retailers, nurseries, and landscapers. The company operates as a marketing organization for 13 growers, selling bedding plants, perennials, vegetables, herbs, and specialty plants. Revenue is transaction-based with orders placed through regional sales representatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bert R. Hybels, Inc. is a wholesale plant and flower marketing organization that represents 13 independent growers in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area, collectively operating more than 100 acres of greenhouses. The company sells bedding plants, perennials, vegetables, herbs, hanging baskets, geraniums, and specialty plants to independent garden centers, nurseries, and landscapers across the United States. Distribution is supported by an in-house trucking subsidiary (All Seasons Express) providing temperature-controlled delivery and a 37-door warehouse facility.

Product overview

Bert R. Hybels, Inc. is a wholesale plant and flower marketing organization representing 13 growers in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. The company operates as a unified platform offering more than 100 acres of greenhouses producing approximately two million flats plus 200,000+ baskets, perennials, specialty items, and geraniums annually. The product portfolio is organized around exclusive brands (Chef Jeff's Vegetables, Gardener's Choice Perennials, Grand Prairie Farms Perennials, Garden Stars Annuals) and standard product categories (annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, hanging baskets, mums, pansies, geraniums, succulents, Wave petunias, Proven Winners, strawberries, patio pots). The company differentiates through exclusive product branding for independent garden centers and supplements its plant offerings with Point of Purchase materials. An in-house logistics service (All Seasons Express) provides temperature-controlled shipping with liftgate delivery and tracking capabilities across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chef Jeff's® Vegetables: Exclusive brand of vegetables and herbs offered exclusively to independent garden center customers
• Gardener's Choice™ Perennials
• Grand Prairie Farms Perennials
• Garden Stars® Annuals
• All Seasons Express
• Bert's Best
• Garden Jewels
• Garden Envy
• Garden Accents
• Allstars
• Scoville

Products and services

• Chef Jeff's Vegetables Exclusive wholesale brand of vegetables and herbs offered to independent garden centers. Includes spring and fall varieties such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, herbs, and specialty vegetables, available in formats like 1204 bedding plants and cold vegetables.
• Gardener's Choice Perennials Exclusive wholesale perennial plant brand offered to independent garden centers, featuring Echinacea and other perennial varieties in spring season, available in 4-inch pots and other sizes.
• Grand Prairie Farms Perennials Exclusive wholesale perennial brand sourced from Grand Prairie Farms, available in 6-inch pot sizes with varieties such as Dianthus. Offered exclusively to independent garden centers.
• Garden Stars Annuals Exclusive wholesale annual plant brand featuring Primrose and other annual varieties, available in 6-inch pot sizes for spring season sales to independent garden centers.
• Annual Plants Wholesale annual bedding plants including cold annuals, fall annuals, and spring annuals sold in various sizes (1204 flats, 306 flats, 606 jumbo flats).
• Perennial Plants Wholesale perennial plants offered in fall and spring seasons, including varieties such as Artemisia, Coreopsis, Dianthus, Echinacea, Gaillardia, Heuchera, and Lavendula.
• Hanging Baskets Pre-planted wholesale hanging baskets in various styles including annual baskets, Boston fern, citronella, combo baskets (Bert's Best), fancy baskets, foliage baskets, garden jewels, and Solenia varieties.
• Mums (Chrysanthemums) Fall mum plants available in multiple sizes including 1-gallon, 2-gallon, half-bushel, 4-inch, and hanging baskets, with decorative varieties featuring pumpkin face and welcome basket designs.
• Geraniums Wholesale geraniums including seed geraniums, zonal geraniums, and Calliope geraniums available in various pot sizes from 4-inch to 13-inch patio pots.
• Pansies and Violas Spring and fall pansies and violas available in various sizes including 306 flats, 4-inch pots, 6-inch pots, 606 flats, hanging baskets, and color bowls.
• Patio Pots Pre-planted wholesale patio pot combinations for spring and fall seasons, featuring various sizes (6-inch to 14-inch) and brands including Garden Jewels, All Star Combo, Solenia, and SunPatiens.
• Wave Petunias Wave petunia varieties including Wave, Easy Wave, Shock Wave, and Tidal Wave available wholesale in 4-inch and 306 sizes.
• Proven Winners Grandes Proven Winners brand plant varieties available wholesale in grande size (10-inch pots), featuring Angelonia, Begonia, Bidens, Calibrachoa, Coleus, Lantana, Supertunia Petunias, and many other varieties.
• Succulents Wholesale succulent plants including 3-inch succulents, 10-inch succulent combos, 306 hens & chicks, and 8-inch succulent chicks in various configurations.
• Strawberries Chef Jeff's branded wholesale strawberry plants available in multiple formats including 306 flats, 10-inch hanging baskets, market baskets, and octagon pots.
• Cabbage and Kale Ornamental cabbage and kale plants available wholesale in 1-gallon and 6-inch sizes with varieties including Crane Ruffle, Crystal, Glamour Red, Kamome Red, Nagoya, Osaka, Peacock, and Yokohama.
• Color Bowls Pre-planted wholesale color bowl combinations featuring pansies and violas in 9-inch and 12-inch sizes, including annual color bowls and fancy color bowl mixes.
• Fancy and Decorative Plants Wholesale specialty decorative plants including ornamental grasses, ornamental peppers, tropical ferns, and fancy varieties available in spring and fall seasons.
• All Seasons Express Trucking and Logistics In-house trucking and logistics service providing temperature-controlled shipping, liftgate service, dry van fleet, and delivery tracking for plants and flowers across the United States. Operates a 37-door, 36,000-square-foot warehouse and cross-docking facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
• Point of Purchase Materials Wholesale promotional display materials including bench cards, bench tape, sign holders, and Correx posters to help retailers display and market plants and flowers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 13 Represented Growers (Kalamazoo Area)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBert R. Hybels, Inc. operates as a marketing organization representing 13 of the best bedding plant and specialty item growers in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. Collectively, the greenhouses comprise more than 100 acres producing approximately 2 million flats plus more than 200,000 baskets, perennials, specialty items, and geraniums. The company refers to this as '14 businesses working as one.'
• All Seasons Express, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll Seasons Express is the company's in-house trucking company providing quality transportation services to seasonal shippers. The company specializes in temperature-sensitive products requiring lift gate or refrigerated trailers with driver assistance. Fleet includes 45 trucks year-round and more than 100 seasonally, plus a 37-door, 36,000-square-foot warehouse and cross-docking facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Proven Winners: Proven Winners is a branded plant cooperative that markets exclusive annual, perennial, and shrub genetics to independent garden centers and growers across North America. Comparable to Hybels' strategy of exclusive brands (Chef Jeff's, Garden Stars) used to differentiate independents from mass merchants.
• McHutchison Horticultural Distributors: McHutchison is a wholesale horticultural distributor supplying live goods, plugs, and prefinished products to growers and independent retailers across North America. Comparable as a wholesale plant distributor with national reach and a focus on the independent garden center channel.
• Costa Farms: Costa Farms is one of the largest wholesale growers of indoor and outdoor plants in North America, supplying major retailers and independents with annuals, perennials, and tropicals. Highly comparable to Hybels as a large-scale wholesale nursery supplying branded live goods to the U.S. retail trade.
• Pacific Plug & Liner: Pacific Plug & Liner is a wholesale producer of young plants (plugs and liners) supplying finished-plant growers and large retailers across North America. Comparable as a wholesale nursery serving the bedding plant supply chain with branded genetics and grower support services.
• Greenheart Farms: Greenheart Farms is a wholesale nursery producing bedding plants, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals for garden centers and growers on the U.S. West Coast. Comparable as a wholesale plug and finished plant producer focused on independent retailers, similar in scale and channel to Hybels.

Broad incumbents

• Monrovia Nursery Company: Monrovia is one of the largest wholesale nurseries in the U.S., growing container shrubs, perennials, and ornamental plants sold under the Monrovia brand to garden centers and landscape professionals. Comparable as a branded wholesale nursery supplying independent garden centers with differentiated plants.
• Suntory Flowers: Suntory Flowers develops and licenses branded ornamental varieties (including SunPatiens and Surfinia petunias) marketed through growers and retailers worldwide. Comparable as a branded-ornamentals licensor whose products (SunPatiens is even listed in Hybels' catalog) compete on retail shelves supplied by Hybels.
• Dümmen Orange: Dümmen Orange is one of the world's largest ornamental plant breeders and producers, supplying cuttings, liners, and rooted products to growers and retailers globally. Comparable as a supplier of branded ornamental genetics into the U.S. bedding plant category, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Ball Seed Company (Ball Horticultural): Ball Seed is the wholesale distribution arm of Ball Horticultural Company, supplying seed, plugs, and young plants to growers across North America. Comparable as a long-standing wholesale plant distributor, though it sells upstream to growers rather than finished plants downstream to retailers.
• Syngenta Flowers: Syngenta Flowers is the ornamentals division of Syngenta, breeding and producing vegetative annuals and pot plants for the global horticultural industry. Comparable as a wholesale supplier of branded annual and perennial genetics feeding into the same independent garden center channel that Hybels serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bert-r-hybels-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bert R Hybels