Led by William Gilbert, a direct descendant of Samuel McCausland, the Openfolde group is strategically seeking new opportunities. Pictured is William Gilbert, managing director of Openfolde, now based in Clarence Street, Belfast
Openfolde, formerly Germinal Holdings, has recently restructured its operations by moving its head office back to Belfast after 50 years.
Formerly based in Banbridge from its founding in 1825, the seed and grain processors and sellers uprooted most of their business in 2020 and relocated to Thurles. However, the company has now moved its headquarters to Clarence Street in Belfast, fostering a portfolio of locally owned businesses that share a vision of innovation, collaboration and a sustainable future.
The sixth-generation family business has been operating since 1825, when Samuel McCausland Ltd (Openfolde’s founding company) was established as a general merchant company, importing and exporting goods through the Port of Belfast. McCausland’s grew to become a leader in NI’s seed production industry, exporting around the world and also being a local seed merchant.
Now 200 years on, the new parent company, Openfolde, is now a global SME serving customers in agriculture, professional equipment and seeds for birds and lawn care.
Its subsidiaries are Germinal GB, Germinal Ireland, Germinal New Zealand, Germinal Horizon and three e-commerce brands (The Grass People, iCANLAWN.com and Birdkind). It also owns a 50% stake in New Zealand-based Cates, a major player in the domestic and international grain and seed market.
Led by William Gilbert, a direct descendant of Samuel McCausland, the Openfolde group is strategically seeking new opportunities. William explained: “While the business has continuously evolved over the years, this has increased in recent times through vertical integration within the seed industry, acquiring a stake in a New Zealand seed production company (Cates) and further investment in our own Germinal Horizon research division We now have three R&D sites in the UK and New Zealand dedicated to plant breeding and trials.
“We have rationalized our number of manufacturing sites in the UK and Ireland and invested heavily in warehouses and machinery to take advantage of economies of scale. We have also launched three e-commerce brands and moved our head office back to Belfast where we have established marcomms, digital and ecommerce teams to drive our vision in this area.”
The company is confident of further growth as the focus remains on the importance of sustainability.
Germinal’s climate-smart solutions are already helping farmers produce more sustainably and profitably for the global food chain. Its climate-smart products include Germinal’s Aber High Sugar Grasses, which increase the amount of feed protein captured by animals grazing pasture, reducing ammonia emissions, protecting water and air quality and improving animal performance.
Looking for local opportunities and innovation, William concluded: “This is an exciting time for our business. As we approach our 200th anniversary in 2025, we are embracing new opportunities through our portfolio of companies and delivering on Openfolde’s promise of growth.”
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