Graines Voltz

What Graines Voltz does

Graines Voltz SA is the leading independent French distributor and one of Europe's leading independent distributors of flower, vegetable, and nursery seeds and young plants, founded in 1985 in Colmar by Serge Voltz and listed on Euronext Paris since 1999 (ticker GRVO). The company operates through three core divisions: VOLTZ Maraîchage (professional market gardener seeds and plants, with over 2,000 vegetable varieties including 600 organic), VOLTZ Horticulture (flowers, foliage, shrubs, and urban plants for horticultural professionals and local authorities), and VOLTZ Vertical Farming (varieties selected for indoor controlled-environment agriculture). Underlying capabilities include a 31,000-reference catalogue, in-house varietal selection programs with 5-20 year development cycles, basic seed maintenance and multiplication, varietal purity control, and dedicated research into seed coatings, priming, and biostimulants.

The company monetizes through transactional distribution of seeds and young plants under standard professional pricing terms (minimum €5 per line, net 30 days, with three-installment options for orders over €200). It reaches customers via an integrated field sales force of 100+ technical representatives providing daily advisory, an e-commerce platform (maraichers-voltz.com), and a logistics network delivering across Europe within 24-48 hours. The customer base exceeds 25,000 professionals spanning horticulturists, market gardeners, nursery operators, landscapers, garden centers, vertical farming operators, and local authorities. Growth has been driven by a combination of organic expansion and targeted acquisitions, including Hermina Maier and HILD SAMEN (2020, Germany), Florensis Italia (2020), and André Briant Jeunes Plants (2022), with family control maintained through a Dutreil Agreement and Serge Voltz serving as Président Directeur Général alongside his brother Christian Voltz as Administrative and Financial Director.

Name

Graines Voltz

Legal name

Graines Voltz SA

Website

https://graines-voltz.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Graines Voltz SA is the leading independent French distributor of flower, vegetable, and nursery seeds and young plants, serving 25,000+ professional growers, horticulturists, market gardeners, and municipalities across Europe through a 31,000-reference catalogue and an integrated technical sales force.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seeds and Plants Distribution

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Herbs & Microgreens Wholesale (AFAIACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Seed & Flavoring Crop Farming (Vanilla, Sesame, Mustard) (AFAGAGAN)

Keywords

• Flower seed distribution
• Vegetable seed distribution
• Young plant nursery
• Vertical farming seeds
• Horticulture distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Loire

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Seed and Young Plant Distribution: Core revenue from distribution of flower, vegetable, and nursery seeds and young plants to professionals including horticulturists, market gardeners, nursery owners, and local authorities. Products include conventional and organic seeds, seedlings, and young plants. The company offers over 31,000 product references across its catalogues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Graines Voltz is an independent French distributor of flower, vegetable, herb, and nursery seeds and young plants for professional buyers. The company distributes more than 31,000 product references sourced from a global breeder network, supported by its own varietal R&D, basic seed maintenance, and quality control programs. It sells through three business divisions: VOLTZ Maraîchage (vegetables, aromatics, herbs for professional market gardeners, including conventional and organic), VOLTZ Horticulture (flowers, foliage, shrubs, and small fruits for horticulturists, nursery operators, and local authorities), and VOLTZ Vertical Farming (seeds selected for indoor controlled-environment agriculture).

Product overview

Graines Voltz operates as a unified seed and seedling distribution platform with three core business divisions: VOLTZ Maraîchage (vegetables, aromatics, and herbs for professional market gardeners with over 2,000 varieties including 600 organic), VOLTZ Horticulture (flowers, foliage, shrubs for horticultural professionals and municipalities), and VOLTZ Vertical Farming (specialized seeds for indoor/vertical farming). The company also maintains a portfolio of acquired brands including HILD SAMEN (German breeding), André Briant Jeunes Plants (young nursery plants), and Hermina Maier (German distribution). With 31,000 product references, Graines Voltz serves over 25,000 professional customers across France and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VOLTZ Maraîchage (vegetable, aromatic, and herb seed distribution) Distribution of the best varieties of vegetables, aromatics and herbs for professional vegetable growers (maraîchers) operating under conventional, organic, or vertical farming production modes and various marketing channels including short distribution circuits. The catalogue includes more than 2,000 vegetable varieties, of which over 600 are organic.
• VOLTZ Horticulture (flower, foliage, shrub, and small-fruit distribution) Distribution of a broad range of flowers, foliage, shrubs, vegetables, aromatics and small fruits to professional horticulturists, nursery operators, and local authorities. Varieties are specifically selected for home gardens, urban gardens, and municipal landscaping projects.
• VOLTZ Vertical Farming (seeds for indoor / vertical farming) Specialised range of herb and vegetable varieties selected for vertical / indoor farming, developed with major vertical farming operators and offering redefined quality criteria including precise germination rate, rigorous cleaning, very high specific purity, and year-round availability.
• Organic vegetable and flower seeds range First-range organic vegetable and flower seeds offering professional market gardeners converting to or operating organic farming the same breadth of varieties available under conventional production, with ECOCERT-aligned practices.
• maraichers-voltz.com e-commerce ordering platform Direct e-commerce storefront through which professional market gardeners can order seeds online, with order tracking, secure payment, three-installment payment plans for orders over €200, and a 14-day withdrawal right.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 professional customers served across horticulture, nursery and market gardening sectors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• André Briant Jeunes PlantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Activities taken over at beginning of 2022. André Briant Jeunes Plants is the undisputed leader in the young nursery plants market in France and one of the European leaders. Expanded VOLTZ's offering in young plant segment.
• Florensis ItaliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Italian subsidiary acquired as part of European expansion strategy. Part of ongoing external growth initiatives in Europe.
• HILD SAMENcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020German company acquired in May 2020. Provided opportunity to develop in the market for new production methods such as Vertical Farming. HILD SAMEN's historical varieties are part of GRAINES VOLTZ's extensive research programs in vegetable and flower breeding.
• Hermina MaiercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Acquired in 2020, giving the Group a strategic position in Germany. Combined with HILD SAMEN acquisition, strengthened German market presence.
• SAULAIS, BALL DUCRETTET, PLAN ORNEMENTALminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Companies acquired between 2010-2022 enabling wider range of young plants 'made in France' in Angers region and access to world's best genetics.
• FlorensisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Partnership created in 1997 with Florensis, Europe's leading producer of young flowering plants. Enabled diversification of foreign supplies and helped become France's leading supplier of flowers to local authorities.
• GEVES (Groupe d'Etude et de contrôle des Variétés Et des Semences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench public service provider for variety testing. Regular analyses conducted in collaboration to validate variety characteristics and performance.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Crop Science: Global seed and trait powerhouse (formerly Monsanto) covering vegetables, ornamentals and field crops. Indirect competitor as it sits upstream in genetics that distributors like Voltz channel to growers.
• Syngenta: Global seed and crop-protection major offering vegetable and flower seeds among much wider portfolio. Overlaps with Voltz in professional horticulture and vegetable genetics but operates at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Bejo Zaden: Dutch family-owned vegetable-seed breeder active across Europe with comparable professional-grower focus. Directly comparable in herb and vegetable distribution to Voltz Maraîchage.
• Ball Horticultural Company: US-based horticultural breeder and distributor of flower and ornamental seeds/plants with European operations. Directly comparable to Voltz Horticulture in serving professional growers and municipalities.
• Graines Gautier: French independent vegetable-seed breeder and supplier focused on professional market gardeners — directly competing with Voltz Maraîchage in French vegetables and aromatics.
• PanAmerican Seed: Global flower and ornamental seed breeder/distributor (Ball subsidiary) with professional-grower focus. Directly comparable to Voltz Horticulture's flower-variety business.
• Dümmen Orange: Dutch breeder and supplier of ornamental plants and cut flowers across Europe. Comparable to Voltz Horticulture in serving professional ornamental growers and municipal buyers.
• Vilmorin & Cie (Limagrain): Largest French seed company and one of the world's top vegetable-seed players, with overlapping distribution across market gardeners and horticulturists. Closest direct competitor to Graines Voltz's Maraîchage and Horticulture businesses in France and Europe.
• Rijk Zwaan: Dutch family-owned vegetable-seed breeder/distributor with similar breadth of varieties for professional market gardeners. Competes head-to-head in vegetable genetics across Europe.
• Enza Zaden: Dutch family-owned vegetable-seed breeder and distributor with comparable breadth of vegetable varieties and professional-grower focus. Closely comparable business model across European professional horticulture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCW76e0rA_bkp9dzeUh-z1RQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grainesvoltz

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Graines Voltz