Biobest acquires Norwegian growers

Belgian organic specialist Biobest Group and VekstMiljø AS have acquired a majority stake in Norway’s Pollinering AS. Pollinering AS, founded in 2003, is a local Norwegian producer of bumblebee hives for pollination. The move comes shortly after Norwegian authorities banned the importing of commercial bumblebees to protect locally produced hives. This led to VekstMiljø and Biobest merging with Pollinering to strengthen the local production base in order to serve the needs of fruit and vegetable growers.

Berge Sandanger, managing director of VekstMiljø said that by partnering with Pollinering, the firm is now able “to bring this value-added combined offering to our customers in Norway where relying on bumblebee imports is no longer an option.”

Steen Borregaard, CEO of Borregaard Bioplant added,

“For the Norwegian market, we are eager to leverage our intense collaboration with VekstMiljø with access to locally produced bumblebees. This joint investment in a local production company gives us this possibility. Pollinering’s products are already well known to local growers. Thanks to direct access to the expertise of Biobest, a world leader in bumblebee production, we will be able to accelerate the progress of Pollinering and contribute to the competitiveness of local horticultural production in Norway.”