Solène Voltz joined VOLTZ Maraîchage in 2020. It is the Vertical Farming project that convinces her to come: “After the acquisition of HILD and the aromatics genetics, there was a growing demand from the new market of indoor varieties. So, I joined the company to create and develop a range that meets the expectations of Vertical Farms. We now have a dynamic sales team that can meet international demands,” she explains.

Daily, she is responsible for the International Maraîchage team as well as the Vertical Farming team: “We still have a lot of development to do, both in our varieties and in our knowledge of the specific needs of our customers.”

In 2023, Solène has worked on the new e-shop launching, a website dedicated to seeds for Vertical Farms. She is also focusing on developing the range worldwide: “The goal for 2023 is to offer Vertical Farmers a complete range of seeds, from herbs, micro-greens, and even plants for cosmetic use... We do a lot of variety testing with our customers and try to find the most suitable ones for each system, while ensuring the highest quality seed. This is our commitment to Vertical Farmers,” she enlightens.

Jim Rozec has just joined VOLTZ Maraîchage. With his horticultural background, he thought it was only logical to work in this field: “My father has been producing tomatoes in greenhouses since the 1990s, and through his career I have seen the specificities of production in a controlled environment: increased yields, a very technical job where you have to control the crop as well as possible. With my scientific culture and an interest in biology, I continued along this path of vegetable production, mainly in greenhouses, during my studies and professional experience.”

After his working experience in Asia, he’s been relocated in the U.S.A. to be closer to its clients. Daily, he keeps in touch with our partners and customers. “They often have needs and questions about our products, and in order to find the most suitable variety for their production system and consumer demands. We set up trials to respond to these problems and I also help producers to solve technical production problems,” he explains.

One of his advices to new Vertical Farmers? “In lettuce, it is complicated to produce Head lettuce types (Iceberg, Butterhead, Romaine). It is better to choose Looseleaf varieties where the air circulation between the leaves is better to avoid tip burn problems.”

Wolfgang Fischer has put a foot in the seed world for years! He entered HILD Samen (the seed breeder bought by Graines Voltz) 36 years ago. Since then, he has made his trail in the seed breeding work, but also in international trades as he is part of the International Team and Vertical Farming group: “Today I am international product manager for our own breeding activities for herbs, radishes and climbing beans, and I am actively responsible for sales in certain countries” he explains. As a product manager, he enjoys scoring and evaluating trials: “I find it very exciting to see our existing and new breeds in this way and to get to know and place them properly. With this knowledge I can support our sales team and customers well and efficiently. Market and competition analyze complement the activity.”

As Wolfgang follows the development and breeding activities, he is travelling a lot to visit our trials field. “There are trials with our aromatic herbs in various European countries and in North America. These are divided into pot and field trials. This is where our new breeds come into the trials. In the vertical farming business, we mainly test our well-known range, which has proven itself so far. There are currently tests in Australia with our standard range, he details.” And this hard work is paying off: “VOLTZ Maraîchage became a major international contact and supplier for high quality herbs and other crops. Some of our variety highlights are Basil Lucia and Gustosa. Coriander Atlas and Shanghai, or Parsley Laica and Starlett,” concludes Wolfgang.