August 14, 2004

Oosterhout / Nijmegen, the Netherlands

On the occasion of its 100^th anniversary, celebrated at Palace Het Loo, the international grass seed company Barenbrug was awarded the designation ‘Royal’ in the name of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. During the past one hundred years this family business has acquired a unique and leading position in its sector as one of the largest grass seed companies in the world. For this achievement the company received Royal Honor. From today Barenbrug will be known throughout the world as the Royal Barenbrug Group.

During the celebration of the 100^th anniversary at Palace Het Loo another Royal Honour was awarded. Mr H.J.M. (Bert) Barenbrug was named Officer in the Order of Oranje Nassau for his special contribution to the seed sector and the promotion of family businesses in the Netherlands. The Mayor of Ede, mr R.C. Robbertsen, decorated him during the celebration in the presence of 225 guests.

The company has been among the world’s best in its field for a hundred years, during which time it has shown what is needed to stay ahead: invest in R&D, knowledge and quality and in partnerships around the globe. This has made the company of huge value to the economic development of the region and has contributed to the leading position of the Dutch seed industry all over the world.

It is quite extraordinary for a family-owned company to develop into a world leader in its sector, which once again proves the strength of this family business. Family-owned companies in the Netherlands generate 150 to 200 billion euro in added value for the Dutch economy and account for 2.5 million jobs, almost 50% of all employment.

The exciting start of a new century

The celebrations of the 100^th anniversary and the designation ‘Royal’ herald the start of a second century of ‘Great in Grass’. One of the latest challenges is the study into the influence of grass species on the quality of food and public health. After all, improvement of grass has an impact at the beginning of the food chain of dairy products. Furthermore, the requirements to be met by lawn and sports pitch grasses are becoming increasingly stringent. Developing grass seed mixtures that can meet these requirements is a daunting challenge.

The some 550 employees at the 20 branches in 12 countries on 5 continents are proud of the Royal designation. The Royal Barenbrug Group is a family business whose core business is plant breeding, seed production and the global marketing of grass seeds and seeds for feed crops. The Group has an annual turnover of about 190 million dollars.