Potato Partners Northern Ireland Ltd ( PPNI ) is a Private Company limited with Share Capital. The company is registered in Northern Ireland (Registration Number 43500).
PPNI was established in 2002 and operated as a partnership, bringing together individual businesses which were at that time active in separate potato breeding programmes. The founders of PPNI recognised that breeding new varieties was essential for the survival of the seed potato industry in NI and that cooperation was the only way to achieve the scale needed to deliver cost-effective breeding programmes.
The positive action by PPNI aims to exploit the natural advantages on Northern Ireland with excellent standards of viral health and a highly developed independent government inspection authority, backed by excellent advisory and scientific services. These advantages are recognised through the designation by the EC of Northern Ireland as a protected region for the production of seed potatoes.
In 2008 PPNI entered into an agreement with Van-Rijn- KWS BV, ABC Westland 574, NL 2685 DG to further increase the capacity of the breeding programme. The arrangement also ensured access to their world-wide marketing capability with associated feedback to the breeding programme, and provided a good fit in terms of commitment to growing the seed potato business worldwide.
Subsequent consolidation of this arrangement means that PPNI Ltd. remains registered in NI with the same Registration Number and address. There are two equal shareholders– Montford Enterprises Ltd which is a holding company with shares held by four of the shareholders from the original PPNI organisation, all of whom are active in the potato business in Northern Ireland; and KWS Potato BV which has taken over the original Van-Rijn potato breeding functions.
Montford Enterprises Ltd.
G Conn. 44 Tully Road, Limavady
J Castella. 66 Alwyne Road, Wimbledon, London
Pep-eu
R Cherry, 38-40 Carnlea Road, Ballymena.
R Cherry and Son
S J McCreight, 93 Crossan Road, Rathfriland.
McCreight Potatoes
KWS Potato BV is registered in Netherlands and has 34 employees. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of KWS which is a German plant breeding company with over 4000 employees in its global operations.
KWS Potato BV