Geneva/Paris, 6 December 2021 – ÉLÉPHANT VERT reports the signing of an agreement to divest its OR BRUN business to SBM Company. SBM Company has been a major player in the field of consumer gardening for more than 20 years with a mastery of the entire value chain from development to distribution. After consultation with the employee council (CSE), closing of the transaction is expected before year-end 2021.

The OR BRUN business was acquired by ÉLÉPHANT VERT in 2017 and has since grown significantly. The sales price reflects OR BRUN’s strong positioning as a leading gardening brand in the French market, as well as the considerable progress it has made in recent years in rejuvenating its brand and positioning, benefitting from product innovations driven by the ÉLÉPHANT VERT group.

ÉLÉPHANT VERT is focusing its growth on innovative bio-intrants for the agricultural segment. The divestment of OR BRUN allows the group to intensify and accelerate its investments in the areas of bio-stimulants and bio-controls. With today’s divestment announcement, a first step of the strategic portfolio adjustment has been completed. ÉLÉPHANT VERT plans some strategic acquisitions in the near future.

Peter BRÄNDLE, Chief Executive Officer of ÉLÉPHANT VERT commented :

«It was a pleasure and honour for me to accompany the journey of OR BRUN since joining ÉLÉPHANT VERT in 2020. The OR BRUN team achieved significant milestones over the last 4 years, most notably the development of the products into a fresher, younger and more modern look and feel whilst keeping the premium organic quality. I am especially impressed by the new product ranges to be launched in 2022. I appreciate the continuous and consequent push across all sales channels in the last years, with great performance in awareness, attractiveness and commercialisation of the OR BRUN brand. I wish Philippe SERTILLANGE, his team and all the partners of OR BRUN the very best for the future under new ownership. I am convinced that also this next chapter in the long history of OR BRUN will be a prosperous one.»

Philippe SERTILLANGE, Chief Executive Officer of OR BRUN added:

«I am happy and eager to start the collaboration with SBM to continue expanding OR BRUN’s position as the leading French brand in organic gardening with sustainable, innovative and high-performance products. With SBM, we have found a partner who is an expert in the gardening market and who can fully support us in the implementation of our strategy. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank ELEPHANT VERT and in particular Peter BRÄNDLE, for their great support over the past years.»

Alexandre SIMMLER, Managing Director of SBM Life Science, said:

«We are delighted to welcome the Or Brun teams to the SBM group. Their expertise, the industrial asset and the strength of the Or Brun brand enable SBM to acquire the key factors to become a reference partner for its customers in the soil and soil improver segments. This strategic acquisition meets our ambition to accompany our consumers throughout the season from planting to caring for their plants. SBM is the gardener’s ally for planting, sowing, embellishing, protecting and caring for their plants. »

ÉLÉPHANT VERT SA was assisted on the transaction by Lucid Partners AG as financial advisor in M&A.

About ELEPHANT VERT

Created in 2012, ÉLÉPHANT VERT develops and commercialises innovative biosolutions to meet societal expectations of a healthy and sustainable agricultural sector. These biosolutions, which combine products and services, promote soil fertility and regeneration, protect crops against diseases and pests. A partner of farmers, ÉLÉPHANT VERT meets all the needs of their crops by improving the quality and sustainability of production. Today established in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Kenya, the ÉLÉPHANT VERT Group is developing and marketing its offer in Europe and Africa.

For more information, please visit https://elephant-vert.com/

About OR BRUN

OR BRUN, subsidiary of the ÉLÉPHANT VERT Group since 2017, was created in 1968. Its vocation has always been the development, production, and distribution of natural products in the consumer gardening market and made in France. With about sixty employees, OR BRUN and its flagship product “Authentique Fertilisant” can be found in all French specialist stores. Its success has always been based on the strong reputation of its brand, the quality of its products, its production capacity, its innovations focused on the consumer as well as the close relations with its distributors.

For more information, please visit https://or-brun.com/

About SBM Company


SBM Company is a family-owned industrial group of French origin, created in 1994 and present in more than 31 countries throughout Europe and North America. SBM Company designs, homologates, produces and markets products for the care and protection of crops, gardens and the home. Recognized for its expertise in both the agricultural and consumer markets, SBM masters the entire value chain, from R&D to the consumer. Innovation is at the heart of the group’s strategy, in order to constantly adapt to market changes.

The group is positioned in 4 areas of activity:

• agricultural crop protection, through the commercial entity CMPA
• industrial production, with four plants (three in France and one in the United States)
• aromatherapy, under the LCA brands
• Garden & Home, which is today the main activity of the group, with its subsidiaries SBM Life Science in Europe and the United States and the subsidiary SPG in France.

For more information, please visit https://sbm-company.com/

Contact:  

ÉLÉPHANT VERT SA , Place de Longemalle 1 , 1204 Geneva
E-mail: presse@elephant-vert.com

Director of communication : Maud Le Bris / maud.lebris@elephant-vert.com / 06.07.36.37.04