Franz Grimme celebrated his 80th birthday on 3 March 2026. Dating back to 1848, when his great-grandfather laid the foundation of the company in Damme Germany, the Grimme Group grew up to its current major size. Still a family owned business with global reach.
In 1980, Franz Grimme took over the management of the “Grimme agricultural machinery factory” from his father, which at that time employed 300 people and manufactured 10 products.
In 1985, he married his wife Christine, after which their sons Christoph (1988) and Philipp (1990) were born. Franz Grimme founded the first foreign subsidiary in the USA in 1985. “Internorm”, a specialist in plastics technology, was founded in 1987, followed by “Ricon”, a company for the production of webs and conveying equipment, in 1995. With the acquisitions of US potato technology manufacturer Spudnik in 2003 and Danish vegetable technology specialist Asa-Lift (2013), Franz Grimme consistently focused on internationalization and a broad product range.
At the same time, own subsidiaries and service agencies were established in numerous core markets such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Russia, Denmark, Turkey, Poland, South Africa, Canada, Brazil and the German locations in Uelzen (Lower Saxony) and Langquaid (Bavaria).
The group of companies is now present in over 120 countries and operates 37 locations worldwide, including seven production facilities. Under Franz Grimme’s leadership, the workforce has grown from around 300 to over 3,300 employees. The product range has been expanded to over 180 models in potato, beet and vegetable technology with the Grimme, Spudnik and Asa-Lift brands.
Even at the age of 80, Franz Grimme is still present at the company every day. As Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Grimme Holding, he and his wife Christine support their sons Christoph and Philipp, who are the fifth generation to run the group of companies.
Franz Grimme: “Christine and I are proud that our sons Christoph and Philipp have taken on full responsibility for the companies and that we can support them. It is a very comforting feeling to know that everything is in good hands. I am inspired by the large Grimme team. We have achieved a considerable degree of progress together and still have a lot to accomplish. I am celebrating my 80th birthday with great joy and gratitude.”
