Kébol to acquire Witteman

Kébol B.V. announced the purchase of the assets and activities of Witteman and Co. B.V., a 150-year-old Dutch company that specializes in sourcing and distributing bare root perennial products and conducting business as Darwin Plants, which is currently owned by Ball Horticultural Company.

The acquired assets include the Darwin Plants portfolio of bare root-propagated perennial varieties sold in various markets around the world, as well is its related mail-order and liner distribution business. The transaction does not include business activities or the vegetative perennial assortment of U.S.-based Darwin Perennials, which remains under the helm of Ball.

“Darwin Plants’ bare root offering, long-standing relationships and worldwide network of customers make it a great complement to our existing strength in sourcing, sales, distribution and warehousing,” says Jos van der Drift, director of Kébol. “The natural seasonality of the Darwin Plants assortment perfectly offsets the natural seasonality we’re seeing in our amaryllis, tulips and other bulb products.”