Fourth-generation owner Paul Ecke III has sold Ecke Ranch, his Encinitas, Calif.-based breeder and distributor of poinsettias and other flowering plants, to Agribio Group, a Dutch-based group of breeding and propagation companies. 

Ecke Ranch is one of the top five growers in the United States, the company reports, based on greenhouse area managed by the company. The company’s roots go back more than 100 years, and the Ecke family is credited with making poinsettias a Christmas tradition.

Today, in addition to its facilities in California, Ecke Ranch operates in Mexico, Guatemala, Denmark and Spain, and employs or contracts more than 1,000 staff.

In a press release, the company said sales and marketing programs for the 2012-2013 sales season will remain as published, and Ecke Ranch will continue with a “business as usual” approach to support brokers and customers. The Ecke Ranch name will continue after the acquisition.

“I have been looking for the right opportunity to elevate Ecke Ranch to a new level of excellence,” Mr. Ecke comments. 

“We need a strong partner to support our continuing innovation and provide our customers more options,” he continues. “Agribio Group is the ideal fit to partner with as we look to the future.”

Agribio Group trades more than 1 billion cuttings per year. Its breeding companies include Fides Oro, Barberet & Blanc, Lex+, Bartels Stek and Bartels Roses.

The sale is expected to be final by mid-September.