Graines Voltz
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.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersLoire, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
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.
Graines Voltz firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Graines Voltz industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Graines Voltz is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Loire
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Graines Voltz business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Professional market gardener pricing |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard professional pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Graines Voltz product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Graines Voltz
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Graines Voltz technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Graines Voltz partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- André Briant Jeunes PlantscoreActivities 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 ItaliaminorItalian subsidiary acquired as part of European expansion strategy. Part of ongoing external growth initiatives in Europe.
- HILD SAMENcoreGerman 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 MaiercoreAcquired in 2020, giving the Group a strategic position in Germany. Combined with HILD SAMEN acquisition, strengthened German market presence.
- SAULAIS, BALL DUCRETTET, PLAN ORNEMENTALminorCompanies acquired between 2010-2022 enabling wider range of young plants 'made in France' in Angers region and access to world's best genetics.
- FlorensisminorPartnership 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)minorFrench 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
Graines Voltz competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad 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
Graines Voltz social profiles
Digital presenceGraines Voltz compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Graines Voltz financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Graines Voltz leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Graines Voltz subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Graines Voltz funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Graines Voltz M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Graines Voltz
What does Graines Voltz do?
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).
Is Graines Voltz a public or private company?
Graines Voltz is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Graines Voltz founded?
Graines Voltz was founded in 1985. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Graines Voltz based?
Graines Voltz is headquartered in Loire, France, in the Europe region.
How does Graines Voltz make money?
One revenue line is on record: seed and Young Plant Distribution.
Who are Graines Voltz's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bayer Crop Science and Syngenta. Direct peers are Bejo Zaden, Ball Horticultural Company, Graines Gautier, PanAmerican Seed, Dümmen Orange, Vilmorin & Cie (Limagrain), Rijk Zwaan and Enza Zaden.
Does Graines Voltz have an API?
No public API is recorded for Graines Voltz.
What industry is Graines Voltz in?
Graines Voltz's product category is Agricultural Seeds and Plants Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIACAC, Fresh Herbs & Microgreens Wholesale, with a secondary code of AFAGAGAN, Specialty Seed & Flavoring Crop Farming (Vanilla, Sesame, Mustard). Its NAICS code is 1114 and its SIC code is 5200.