Why Novag?
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Unfolding strength: next generation farming

In periods of dramatic climate changes and increased economic pressure you just cannot sit back and continue business as usual. Time has come for a new generation of farmers who have understood that only healthy soils will lead to healthy lifes – and healthy profits. Novag takes farmers into the future: Modern no-tillage seed drills constructed and produced in France ensure greater yields coupled with reduced costs.

Our company founders Ramzi and Antoine have strong connections with agriculture. They pursue improvement in all areas, be it innovative technologies or the development of environmental, economical and social excellence. The result is outstanding machinery, unique in terms of quality, reliability and value retention, and which pays off in the long term –  for the people who operate it, as well as for the environment around it.

Better soil than sorry

In urban culture soils often are considered as dirt. Certainly one reason why they‘ve been mostly neglected by politics so far. The global drama was overlooked: Soil which was once very fertile dries up, and gets blown away. It loses its capacity to store water; groundwater levels fall. The loss of highly fertile ground harms two of the central missions of humanity: feeding the world‘s growing population and fighting climate change.

Healthy soils with their humus layer are a huge CO2 store. Regenerative agriculture together with Novag machines will be part of restoring incomes for farmers and saving the planet for the next generations.

From the bottom up

Since 2011 in the Charentes Maritime and Deux Sevres countryside, close to the Atlantic ocean, we have been determined to build our business based on ambition, innovation, teamwork and durability. Those values explain the way we work, the quality we offer, and the unsurpassed treatment you get as a customer, investor or employee.

Innovation

Novag machines are advanced and innovative, and this is no accident: The company founders thrive on experimentation and invention. Novag is all about next generation’s farming, where agronomy has a renewed importance. All of this is achieved within the boundaries of intellectual property.

Durability

Novag has been created to last through time. The machines we design and build are based on this approach: They are robust and durable.

Teamwork

We ask our people to share our values and qualities. We want our team to be innovative, strong and durable.

Sustainability

What if the most efficient technology for modern agriculture was the earthworm?
Novag precision seeders and the pillars of conservation agriculture protect the soil, contribute to carbon sequestration, and are a viable solution for the ecological transition.

From the makers of champagne, the Eiffel tower and the french revolution

We’ve understood that the french revolution was quite a long time ago. So why not starting another revolution? A revolution of agronomy. Sounds like a crazy fairytale, but it‘s nothing but the naked truth.

Ramzi Frikha

Company Founder & Export Manager

Coming from a world of engineering and science, Ramzi founded the company out of passion for machine design. Learning on the move as a company founder, Ramzi shaped NOVAG’s product range and knows every bolts and nuts of Novag’s business.

Office +33 5 49 24 65 43
Mobile +33 6 24 96 27 17
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Antoine Bertin

Farmer and co Founder

Skilled farmer and skilled engineer at the same time, Antoine had a chance to travel the world before taking over his father’s farm. As a co-founder of Novag, he brings useful field experience to the team while being a strong advocate of no tillage benefits.

Mobile +33 6 09 02 15 37
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Lotfi Frikha

President

Ramzi’s father got caught in the business at the earliest stage of the company. Lotfi’s experience as an computer engineer and as a former business manager is very useful to support the team and Novag’s ambitious development.

Office +33 5 49 24 65 43
Mobile +33 6 13 20 59 93
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Jessica Simon

Purchasing Manager

As Novag’s historically first employee, Jessica deals with Novag’s suppliers and partners. She manages procurements, logistics and she makes sure that Novag drills can be manufactured and delivered right on time.

Office +33 5 49 24 65 43
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Lucas Zickermann

Sales & Product Manager

Torn apart between his German home and his French adventures with Team Novag, Lucas’ heart beats for no-till and his passion of farm machinery. Hands on, and down to earth, Lucas works at the side of the Novag users and channels his motivation from their success.

Mobile +33 7 72 13 89 33
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Growing ideas

At the beginning of our story, Ramzi and Antoine started working with a drill manufacturer from New Zealand to source openers for the first complete machines they designed. This partnership wasn’t working, so they decided to invest a great deal of their time and money to create new openers. This is how Novag was born.

2009

Antoine and Ramzi meet each other for the first time in New Zealand. Both were interested in no-tillage farming equipment. They rapidly understood that yield record New Zealand farmers were using very advanced agronomy and systems to be successful in no-tillage. In the same time, more and more European farmers seemed to realize conventional farming had reached a wall.

2011

Business relationship are established between the founders and Baker No-Tillage Ltd, a New Zealand company producing sophisticated inverted T drill openers, based on scientific research.
The very first drill prototype is built close to La Rochelle, under original company name CSAgrimat. This drill is 3.3m wide, and has 11 rows. Key features like depth control and inverted T-slots are already there and working.

2012

The idea of a partnership with the New Zealand people comes to an end, due to disagreement about improvements to be made to the technology and general business terms. Ramzi and Antoine stick to their vision and develop their own opener, with agronomical advantages and efficiency in mind. CSAgrimat gain financial support from Angel Investors and becomes Novag SAS. First customers order drills.

2017

For the first time, Novag takes part in Agritechnica, the world leading farm machinery tradeshow, showcasing the newest addition to the product line: The T-Force 840, a powerful implement on tracks.

2018

The factory is relocated in a brand new building in Fressines. The production goals are set to 40 machines per year. The T-Force series become T-ForcePlus: a strong emphasis on the famous „+“ slot shape and Novag’s groundbreaking soil regeneration technology.

2021

Novag celebrates its 10th anniversary and delivers its 100th seed drill. The brand is now present in almost all of Europe, including the Ukraine, and Russia. In addition, Oceania – the birthplace of the inverted T-technique – becomes one of its most important markets.