Toddington Nurseries Ltd
Toddington Nurseries Ltd was established in 1963 to grow chrysanthemum mother stock. The Company then expanded into cut flower production, and subsequently into shrub and nursery stock. Yoder Brothers, an American chrysanthemum breeder purchased the company in the mid eighties and renamed it Yoder Toddington. In 1998, Kirin Agribio, an offshoot of a Japanese beer business bought the Company as part of their diversification into Biotechnology, and Yoder Toddington became part of the Southern Glasshouse Group (SGP). At the time SGP had established a chrysanthemum breeding business under the stewardship of Dr Barrie Machin, breeder of such famous varieties as Snowdon, Pink Gin and the Snapper range. In 2010 Kirin sold the business to H2, a Dutch private equity company who decided to sell all the businesses in the UK in the SGP group, and in 2011 Toddington was bought by Jeff Hooper and Andy Desmond, the current owners. The Company will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023.
Hostas being grown under a shade netting
Aerial view of Toddington Nurseries
The Company is based in West Sussex close to the village of Barnham which has a station with main line rail connections. The business is based on a 31 acre site with two main blocks of glasshouses and a further four acres of polytunnels. The New Lake Lane block comprises six acres of computerised glass, four large coldstores and a rooting unit with underfloor heating.
The other block of glass, Old Lake Lane, comprises six and a half acres of computerised glass split into eight blocks of 0.8 of an acre.
Staff facilities are important to the Company and every effort is made to ensure that restrooms and other facilities are well presented. Induction and other training is also a priority. We aim to be a friendly and inclusive company and have a number of staff activities including a summer barbecue.