How did the company start ?

My father, Jean-Claude, was a farmer who grew cereals, beetroot and colza on the farm’s one hundred and ten hectares at the time. He then wanted to diversify, so he started up an ornamental nursery in 1967 that was limited to five hectares and just hedge plants. Later on, after some trial and error, my father built up a fruit production and hired a crop manager in 1968, Mr Georges Urbain, who is still in the company. At the time, private buyers represented the majority of the clientele, with landscape gardeners.

How did the business develop ?

From 1975-80, when garden centres and shops were starting up, my parents went to the USA to study tree farming. The advent of potted plants was another trigger, although there were some failures. The business really began developing in the 1980s. I joined the company in 1992 and my first job was to develop another clientele. That effort bore fruit because we doubled the turnover in ten years. If was as if we got our second chance. The commercial aspect has become very important. I succeeded my father at the head of the company in 2000 and the nursery represents just over thirty five hectares today.

What are your main productions ?

We are primarily specialists in dwarf conifers, rock garden conifers and large growing conifers, which covers over two hundred species. We produce the complete range of conifers with special varieties of pine and yew, as well as ornamental trees and shrubs, most of which are evergreens, fruit trees, climbing plants, roses, hedge plants, etc. The conifers are our flagship product and account for 25% of sales, followed by hedge plants, shrubs and fruit trees (10%). The latter are growing significantly. Generally, we ship just over 150,000 plants a year on average and we have 250,000 in production. Our catalogue contains 850 varietal species and 5,000 listed products. It is important today to renew lines and we put a lot of effort into finding new varieties, with regard to the people who can get them.

How do you see the gardening market ?

Our business does not change much but it is growing. It is tied to the DIY-gardening budget, which is primarily a leisure budget. As such, it remains subject to a certain number of competing factors, which are, not necessarily in this order, multimedia spending, holidays, long weekends, bad weather, etc. The garden is not just about plants, it is also masonry, garden sheds, pergolas, duckboards, gates, terraces, watering systems, equipment, tools - all the different elements that reduce the plant buying share. In addition, we face direct foreign competition from Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and producers of Mediterranean plants. However, nurserymen have the advantage of being less numerous than horticulturists. As for the nursery market in particular, the trend is towards changes in lines and varieties and our production schedules have adapted to this. You have to be ahead of the buyer to get what you want. To do that, we promote an ever-growing number of new products through various channels (horticultural trade shows and events, trade press, customer questionnaires, professional meetings). There is a huge job to be done in varietal research and advice in the plant sector. To remain a player in this market, you have to listen to it, anticipate and adjust your production to the demand.

What do you think of Rungis Market ?

The advantages of Rungis Market are still its extensive ranges, diversity, proximity, permanent operation, communication and capacity to promote the latest trends. Rungis is a market of trends.