Who We Are
Offering a comprehensive seed service
Quantil Seed Services is a long-established, family-run business providing certified seed (including cereals, pulses, forage, and oil seeds), essential services, and logistics to farmers. Based in Lancashire, we offer a comprehensive service tailored to the individual needs of the farmer, ensuring high quality seed and excellent customer support.
As well as farming 1000 acres ourselves, we partner with other farmers, giving them the opportunity to collect a premium for growing for us, and helping us realise our ambitious growth plans.
The Journey
Certified Seed
Certified Seed is a fully traceable, guaranteed seed product that protects farmers and their customers by meeting rigorous specifications. It meets prescribed standards for varietal identity, purity, germination, and contains minimal foreign materials. It is superior in quality to non-certified seed and is part of a world-wide quality assurance system.
Supply of stock seed
1st generation seed is supplied to our grower partners to produce a high-quality seed crop.
Crop Entry
We enter the field details into the national seed certification scheme
Inspection
Throughout the growing cycle our own licensed seed inspectors carry out detailed field assessments ensuring quality standards are met
Harvest
Post-harvest seed samples are taken and sent to the laboratory for germination and purity testing
Seed Cleaning & Treatment
Following arrival at our processing plant, seed is cleaned using our modern cleaning equipment, ensuring the best possible samples are obtained. Treatments are applied as required
Storage or Haulage
Bagged seed is stored in one of our three 400 tonne finished goods stores, awaiting despatch. Our logistics team schedule haulage using a range of haulage options, including our own vehicles that have the capacity to deliver up to 50 tonnes of stock daily.
Our history
Our founder, Warwick Symondson, purchased our farm site and land in the early 1950s. Whilst our farming activities have varied over the years, processing seed in our onsite mill has been at the heart of operations from the start.
Over the past few decades, Warwick's son, David, and Barry Pape have nurtured and refined the business, investing in modern equipment and supporting the development of our expert team, many of whom have been working with us since the early days. Barry's son, John, has since joined, bolstering the family culture of our business, and helping us to grow for the next generation.
Through the years
1950s
Warwick Symondson takes over Robinson's Farm, a mixed livestock and arable farm in Lathom, and the site that our business still stands on today.
1960s
We install our first seed cleaning facility, and Quantil begins processing certified cereal seed for local growers.
1970s
Quantil adds a second cleaning line, increasing our cleaning capability and consolidating seed processing as a key part of our business.
1980s
Warwick's son, David, joins the farm, learning the business from the ground up. They shift the focus away from livestock farming, developing the arable cropping and becoming one of the largest sprout growers in the UK, earning Warwick the affectionate nickname 'The King of the Sprouts' in the farming community. Barry joins the business in the late 1980's as Seed Sales manager.
1990s
Farming activities are simplified, concentrating on cereal seed production. The growing of wallflowers on a field scale flourished, resulting in the business becoming the number one supplier in the UK, supplying wallflower plants to many prestigious venues including Buckingham Palace.
2000s
We split the company's activities into two businesses Quantil Ltd & Quantil Agriculture Ltd (QAL). The wallflower business is moved into Quantil Ltd as part of Quantil's expanding horticultural operations, based around glasshouse production, & QAL concentrates on farming and seed processing activities. In 2007, we increased our farming activities with the acquisition of the 1400 acre Croston estate. This allowed for a significant increase of own-produced seed quality crops.
2010s
Barry's son, John, joins the team as assistant seeds manager. We acquire Beech Grove Farm, and commit to significantly investing in the seed processing facet of our business.
A new seed mill extension is erected and a modern processing line is installed, tripling our processing capabilities. At Beech Grove, we built a 2000 tonne seed storage facility featuring grain drying and compartmentalised bulk seed storage.
2020s
We sell part of the vegetable growing land of the Croston Estate, retaining our cereal growing land, leaving us with 1100 acres for our own seed production. We add a purpose designed 2000 tonne seed storage facility adjacent to our Lathom site, featuring grain drying, compartmentalised bulk seed storage and underfloor crop conditioning system.
Bolstered by significant investment and an exceptional team, Quantil Agriculture rebrands as Quantil Seed Services, recognising the comprehensive service they provide for farmers in and beyond the North-West of England.
The Future
We continue to be bold and ambitious in our development. We plan to refocus our farming activities around Lathom; increase our finished goods storage; and add more vehicles to our transportation fleet.
