Openfolde, the parent business of the Germinal grass and forage seed business, marked the culmination of its 200th anniversary year with a Chairman’s Dinner at the Belfast premises where its original activities grew to commercial significance.
LtoR: William Gillbert and John Gilbert
The business was founded in Belfast in 1825 by young entrepreneur Samuel McCausland and moved to the city’s Victoria St in 1868 to occupy one of two landmark Victorian Italianate seed warehouses originally built in the 1860s. Mr McCausland would subsequently acquire the other through his later purchase of competitor company John Lyttle and Sons.
The buildings lay empty for more than a decade until their 1990s regeneration into the McCausland Hotel, opened in 1998, and then rebranded as the Malmaison Hotel, Belfast when acquired by the Malmaison Group in 2004.
The Belfast Dinner, which followed the Openfolde AGM, was attended by many employees and guests from across the Group’s UK, Ireland and international operations. It was the final event in Openfolde’s anniversary year programme of global partner events, industry celebrations and internal milestones.
The business enters its third century with more than 100 employees across six sites in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, plus a growing number of international partnerships – it currently has distribution partners in over 25 countries across the world. The last full financial year to end June 2025 was a strong one for the Group with yet to be published figures to show a turnover in the £30 million range and profits exceeding £3 million. It reported a profit of £3.11m on a turnover of £29.23m in the year ended 30th June 2024. The Group has a clear strategic trajectory for the coming decade.
The latest year has also seen a major acceleration in innovation across the Group, with the launch of the Germinal Climate Smart seed ranges and ongoing investment into the research capacity of the Germinal Horizon R&D division in Wales and Wiltshire. At the same time, there has been significant commercial momentum across the Group’s branded companies and e-commerce platform.
“Bringing our 200th anniversary year to a close here in Malmaison — in the buildings where so much company history unfolded – is a moment of real significance for our family and for everyone in Openfolde,” Group chairman John Gilbert told guests.
“From those early seed warehouses to a group of strong, science-led brands operating across multiple markets, our evolution has been extraordinary. This year’s phenomenal sales performance is testament to the evolution and professionalism that now defines our organisation, from marketing and HR to sales, R&D, operations and beyond.
“We have grown from a collection of disparate businesses across the UK and Ireland into a cohesive group with a clear purpose, strong values and a long-term view of how we support farmers, agriculture, sustainable land management and our customers for generations to come.”
Original Belfast seed houses
William Gilbert, managing director of Openfolde and chairman of Germinal UK & Ireland, added: “In this milestone year, it has become even clearer that our success flows from the dedication of our teams across all our sites, and from the partners and customers who trust us to deliver practical, science-backed solutions.
“As we look toward to the next century, our focus remains on innovation, sustainability and investment in the expertise that drives our progress. Returning to this historic location connects our heritage with the future we are building.”