About Us

The FPD Group specialises in the development and commercialisation of potato varieties that have Plant Breeders Protection (PBR Varieties) in terms of the international UPOV Convention.  This means that the seed of the specific varieties can only be produced and sold in countries which are signatories to the UPOV Convention and with the consent of the breeding entities and royalties must be paid to the breeders on every unit of seed sold.

PBR is therefore just the "plant" equivalent of Intellectual Property Rights.  PBR on a given cultivar is valid for a period of twenty years from the date that the first seed of that cultivar is sold in any UPOV country.   South Africa is a UPOV signatory and we have a substantial number of varieties from overseas breeding entities registered under PBR.

Breeding entities can either commercialize PBR varieties themselves or they can appoint agents to do so on their behalf.  FPD Holdings is the South African agent for two major Dutch Breeding Houses, namely Agrico and Meijer and also represent the breeding programs of countries such as Israel and New Zealand. Historically FPD’s focus was on the processing industry which is a very rapidly growing market in South Africa. Having established dominance in this market we FPD is now actively looking for PBR varieties which can give the company a strong position in the table market.

Understanding the way we need to do business

• The representation agreement of FPD with the two Dutch companies, Meijer and Agrico, require a certain way of conducting our business which can be best described in terms of a “Franchise Manufacturer Agreement"
• Per definition a “Manufacturer” is a business that converts raw materials or components into saleable goods
• The Franchisor (The Dutch Companies) grants the Franchisee (FPD Holdings Pty Ltd) the right to exploit a trade mark (varieties like Lady Rosetta and Fianna) commercially, in return for which the franchisee will periodically pay the franchisor certain fees (royalties). The Franchisor retains ownership of the trade mark and any goodwill associated with the trade mark accrues to the Franchisor rather then the Franchisee.

The FPD Group Head Office is located in the Western Cape with its physical location in the Cento Building, Bella Rosa Village, Durban Road, Bellville.  The purpose of the group administration is to assist the operating companies to generate and achieve accurate and timeous business information, thereby servicing customers and suppliers on a effective and efficient basis.  The goal is to streamline the way in which to do business by easy access and use of standard documentation, guidelines and procedures.

FPD Group Relationship Structure