Our History
Germinal is a company that is moving forward, leading the way, innovating for the future and developing the best products. We have knowledge of our customers needs at ground level. Research, knowledge and foresight to know what’s needed for future growth.
Germinal Holdings Limited was founded in Belfast in 1825 by general merchant Samuel McCausland. Northern Ireland, around the mid 19th century was the biggest ryegrass seed producer in Europe.
Today, as a seventh generation family business we are proud of our heritage and the expertise of our people as seed specialists. From our first warehouse right in the heart of the Belfast city, we have grown to become the largest family owned British and Irish forage and amenity seed company with direct descendants of the original founder still managing Germinal today.
Headquartered in Banbridge, the Germinal group has significantly expanded into Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. The company continues to innovate and alongside research partners has spearheaded some of the most groundbreaking work in seed development contributing to both the farming and amenity industries.
We have key relationships with the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Science (IBERS) in Aberystwth, Wales and TEAGASC, the agriculture and food development authority in Ireland. This is an important part of our future research and product development program.
An important part of our vision is to stay connected to the farming community. We believe knowledge share and education with our customer communities to be a major part of a successful future for all.