BRANDT and K&N Efthymiadis form join venture to distribute crop nutrition products

BRANDT, a global manufacturer of specialty agricultural input products and US retailer of professional agronomic services, has formed a joint venture with K&N Efthymiadis to distribute BRANDT’s proprietary crop nutritional products in Greece. The JV will be called KNE BRANDT.

Amongst others, products will include BRANDT’s proprietary micronutrients, such as BRANDT Manni-Plex and BRANDT Smart System, as well as BRANDT’s cutting edge specialty products, such as BRANDT InVigo and BRANDT Reaction. Products will be manufactured by BRANDT Europe in Carmona, Spain, and are scheduled to arrive in time for the crucial spring planting season.

″We are excited to form this strategic partnership with K&NE,″ said Rick Brandt, BRANDT President & CEO. ″By having this formal JV in place, we will be able to align our interests behind our commitment to satisfy and delight our farmer customers in Greece.″

The KNE BRANDT joint venture will be headquartered in Thessaloniki, Greece and will employ eight full time employees at the initial phase of development.

″BRANDT’s specialty nutritional inputs have proven to be the best in the business and we envisage a significant rise of demand in Greece,″ explained Vassos Efthymiadis, President & CEO of K&NE. ″The BRANDT products will perfectly complement our seed business and our crop protection portfolio. Together, we can offer our farmer customers a full line of input products.″

The products in the joint venture will be represented by a sales force of five in Greece. Products will be distributed through a network of retail locations that is currently being established with the help of K&NE.

The KNE BRANDT joint venture will be governed by a board composed of representatives from K&NE and BRANDT. Manuel Gonzalez, president of BRANDT Europe, and Christine Bassaber, BRANDT regional sales director, will represent BRANDT.

About K&NE

K&N EFTHYMIADIS S.A. is one of the largest agricultural input distributors in Greece, having a leading position in the markets of both crop protection products and sowing seeds. The company was founded in 1935 and is now managed by the 3rd generation, successfully providing Greek farmers with high – quality inputs and cutting-edge knowhow to ensure optimal yields and income maximization. It is the largest company in the Efthymiadis Agrotechnologies Group, which is also involved in various other sectors of the agrifood industry such as sowing seed processing and R&D, laboratory analyses and contract farming schemes.