Dutch substrate producer and supplier Legro has purchased 50 per cent shares in the British-Sri Lankan coir manufacturer Botanicoir.
The partnership will enable Botanicoir to make the necessary investments to cater to the increasing global demand for compressed coir products and to accelerate new product development.
Botanicoir’s managing director Kalum Balasuriya said: “We feel that Legro is a very good match for us in terms of company culture. Trust, transparency, quality and customer focus are at the heart of everything we do and Legro shares these same values.”
He added: “Both companies will continue to operate independently and there will be no change to the way we do business.It is more of a long-term decision, looking towards the future to meet customer needs and aspirations of growth and innovation.”
Legro’s commercial director Ted Buis said: “The market is changing as growers deal with more and more challenges. We need to step up and do our part to face these challenges in any way we can.
“By taking this important step together, both Botanicoir and Legro can widen their product portfolio and market presence to support our customers.”
Both Botanicoir and Legro are family-run businesses with a global customer base. Headed up by its founders, Kalum and Samantha Balasuriya, Botanicoir offers bespoke products to suit growers needs and is primarily focused on compressed coir products for the commercial soft fruit and vegetable sectors.
With a sales and marketing office in the UK and production facilities in Sri Lanka and India, the founders have full control over the production process.
Legro, meanwhile, boasts almost 100 years’ experience and hasgrown to be one of the biggest substrate producers in the world, supplying tailormade substrates and casing soils. It employs 250 people across nine countries and has its own peat fields and transport company.
