We recently had the pleasure of hosting Jana Massold from our parent company in Germany. Jana works in product management for garden products at Otto Graf GmbH, and spent several days with us getting a deeper understanding of how we operate in the UK market.
The visit was all about strengthening the connection between our German head office and UK operations, particularly when it comes to garden products. Jana wanted to understand how we sell and market these products in the UK, what challenges we face, and where the opportunities lie for future growth.
“I had a truly rewarding visit at GRAF UK,” Jana reflected. “I was not only warmly welcomed, but also greatly appreciated the many insightful conversations with different departments, which provided valuable impulses and highlighted new potential.”
Over the course of several days, Jana met with different teams across the business to get a comprehensive picture of our UK operations. These conversations covered everything from customer profiles and sales channels to the specific characteristics of the UK garden products market.
The exchange of ideas flowed both ways. While Jana gained insights into the UK market, our teams also learned more about product development priorities and strategic thinking from the German perspective. This kind of international collaboration is invaluable for ensuring our product ranges and marketing approaches are aligned with both local needs and global capabilities.
“The visit gave me a comprehensive understanding of the customers, sales channels, and the UK market with regard to garden products,” Jana explained. These insights will help inform future product development and ensure new garden products launched by GRAF are well-suited to UK customer needs and preferences.
One aspect of the visit that clearly made an impression was experiencing our team culture firsthand. “I would also like to highlight the remarkable team spirit and motivation within the GRAF UK team, which left a lasting impression on me,” Jana noted.
The visit required careful coordination, with Charlie handling much of the preparation and collaboration, while Matthew provided the support needed to make the whole visit possible.
For our UK team, hosting Jana provided an opportunity to showcase what we’ve built here while gaining valuable insights into how our garden products business fits into the broader GRAF strategy. These face-to-face interactions are crucial for maintaining strong relationships across different markets and cultures.
International visits like Jana’s help ensure that GRAF UK remains closely connected to the innovation and strategic thinking happening at our German headquarters, while also ensuring that UK market insights inform global product development decisions.
It’s exactly this kind of collaboration that keeps GRAF at the forefront of garden and water management products across all our markets.
Posted by Callum Vallance-Poole, on October 6, 2025.
