A year ago, Jean-Luc Kress sold his shares of KBS Genetic (that he had created in 1999) to an old friend of his, Beppe Pantaleoni, who became the new main shareholder of the company.

 OVER 30 YEARS OF WORKING WITH LIMOUSINES

This was a logical move given the similar paths taken by Jean-Luc Kress and Beppe Pantaleoni over the years.

Jean-Luc Kress started his career as the sales manager of a ground breaking limousine breeders association (ELPA). Then 30 years ago, in 1984, he became the director of Lanaud, a new and unique testing station at the time, where he worked during 15 years alongside Louis de Neuville. He introduced the auction sales that were popular in the UK, Ireland and North America and were unheard of in France. These sales were a great success and participated in the quick development of the limousine breed across the world. Let us quote Jean-Noël Bonnet, the first director of france Limousin Selection and former director of the international technical cooperation board at the Institut de l’Elevage in the local newspaper Le Populaire du Centre: “The commercial orientations taken by Jean-Luc Kress were fundamental. Without him as sales director, the limousine market would not have developed as quickly”.

He also was a famous judge. In 1999, he created KBS Genetic and started organizing international top quality livestock auction sales (Prestige sales) that have become a major event in the limousine agenda.

Together with Jean-Luc, Beppe Pantaleoni, who started as a breeder in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, participated in the development of the limousine breed in Italy. He went on to be Eurolim’s president from 1997 to 2007 and the ILC president from 2000 to 2008. He also created and developed KBS Italy before buying a farm south of Limoges and moving to France two years ago.

PROMOTING  GENETICS THAT MEET TODAY’S AND TOMORROW’S MARKET REQUIREMENTS WHILE RETAINING THE BASICS OF THE BREED

Jean-Luc and Beppe have always shared the same goals with regards to limousine genetics. They both want to highlight and further develop the basic qualities of this exceptional breed that were empirically developed by generations of breeders. This is the only breed that successfully combines muscle and calving ease, early maturity and plasticity, qualities much sought after and carefully selected, that are not naturally present in other genetic types.

But beyond zootechnical criterias, what brought the two men together was a common and innovative vision of breeding and its future, constantly forward looking. KBS Genetic aims to be an essential player in Europe and the rest of the world.

KBS Genetic is “programmed” to keep ahead of other players

All the history of the limousine breed has been marked by enthusiastic and innovative breeders. This is particularly true of the breeders of the GIE Polled Excellence that closely work with KBS Genetic and started developing polled genetics.
In order to make work easier and safer for the breeders and also taking into account the growing concern of our societies for the wellbeing of animals, the market place requires polled animals and the demand will grow in the future. The goal is not only to breed polled animals but to retain the beefy and maternal qualities that have made the reputation and the success of the limousine breed. The polled animals bred in the last ten years show that the challenge has almost been met.

ARTICLE newspaper LE POPULAIRE