Écully, France, December 6, 2021. SBM Company announces the signing of an exclusive agreement with ÉLÉPHANT VERT for the acquisition of Or Brun. It thus enriches its offer on the French market, particularly in the soils, fertilizers, and natural mulches segments.
SBM continues to develop its brand portfolio through Or Brun, an iconic brand in the garden market for natural solutions, known to gardeners since 1968. SBM’s strategy was established 20 years ago in the French market with the SOLABIOL brand, offering organic gardening products for plant protection and fertilizers. SBM reinforces its strategy with Or Brun’s natural soils, fertilizers, and natural mulches via this acquisition.
In recent years, Or Brun, acquired in 2017 by ELEPHANT VERT, has benefited from major product innovations to support a dynamic market and growing consumer interest in responsible gardening. Alongside the Or Brun brand, the company has developed the Or Bio and PaiZible brands, strengthening SBM’s offer by targeting new consumers through new distribution channels.
SBM thus completes its offer with more than 300 references in soils, fertilizers, soil improvers, natural mulches, plant, and home protection products. These ranges are distributed in France through supermarkets, DIY stores, garden centres and LISA (self-service agricultural stores). Or Brun products are manufactured at two production in France (Saint Jean de Monts and Thiel sur Acolin), and the company has 63 employees. Local production is a value both companies share.
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.”
Peter BRAENDLE, General Manager of ELEPHANT VERT, commented: “It has been a pleasure and an honor for me to accompany Or Brun’s journey. The Or Brun team has reached important milestones over the past four years. I would like to highlight the overhaul of the entire product line in a more modern, fresh, and youthful look and feel while maintaining the premium and organic quality. I am particularly impressed with the new product lines that will be launched in 2022. I have also appreciated the continuous and consistent development over the last 3 years of the multiple distribution channels with very good performances on the awareness, attractiveness, and marketing of the Or Brun brand. I wish Philippe SERTILLANGE, his team and all Or Brun employees the best for the future with a new parent. I am convinced that this next chapter in the long history of Or Brun will be a prosperous one.”
Philippe SERTILLANGE, General Manager of Or Brun added: “I am happy and eager to start a new collaboration with SBM to continue to expand Or Brun’s position as the leading French brand in organic gardening with sustainable, innovative and high-performance products. With SBM, we have found an expert partner in the gardening market 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 BRAENDLE, for their great support over the past years.”
As part of its integration effective December 23, Or Brun will continue to operate as a stand-alone business unit. Philippe SERTILLANGE, General Manager of Or Brun, will report directly to Matthieu SCHMIDT, SBM Life Science, Head of Europe.
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 to care for and protect crops, gardens, and homes. Recognized for its expertise in agricultural and consumer markets, SBM masters its entire value chain, from R&D to the consumer products. Innovation is at the heart of the group’s strategy to constantly adapt to market changes.
The group is positioned in four 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, the group’s main activity, with its subsidiaries SBM Life Science in Europe and the United States and the subsidiary SPG in France.
ABOUT SBM LIFE SCIENCE
SBM Life Science is the Home & Garden subsidiary of SBM Company. With 450 employees over 22 sites worldwide, the subsidiary represents €270M in turnover.
SBM Life Science places its expertise at the service of its customers and consumers through innovative and responsible solutions and services for their plants, gardens, and living environments. It offers a complete range of products, including plant protection, soil and lawn seeds, plant food, and pest and mosquitoes control products to meet consumers’ needs: to Nourish, Beautify, Maintain, and Defend.
SBM Life Science has deployed several flagship brands in Europe: Protect Home®, Protect Garden® and Solabiol®, a pioneer in natural products in France since 2001. Other high-performing local brands complete the company’s offer in each European country, such as NutriOne®, Phostrogen® and Stroller®.
In the United States, SBM Life Science Corp. is a key player in innovation in the Lawn and Garden market and stands with leading brands such as BioAdvanced® and Natria®, one of the leading brands in organic products.
SBM Life Science is part of SBM Company.
For more information, please visit https://sbm-company.com/
ABOUT ÉLÉPHANT 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/
PRESS CONTACT
SBM Life Science
Sophie Blazere Leclerc – Group Communication & CSR Director + 33 7 70 29 73 50 – sophie.blazere-leclerc@sbm-company.com