Sakata Seed America Acquires Vanguard Lettuce Program
SALINAS, CA - Growing together is always better, which is one reason why strategic acquisitions take place in the industry. As you know, acquisition is one of our favorite words here at ANUK, and our good friend Sakata Seed America recently acquired Vanguard Seed, a prominent lettuce seed company based in the Salinas Valley of California.
“This is a mutually advantageous decision that allows us to bring top quality lettuce varieties to the market,” stated John Nelson, Vice President of Sakata Seed America. “Sakata is a market leader in multiple segments, including broccoli, and has an excellent reputation for quality, reliability, and service in the Salinas Valley and beyond. We believe this opportunity will create great synergy for both the lettuce and broccoli markets.”
According to a press release, the purchase of Vanguard provides Sakata Seed America with all existing Vanguard lettuce genetics. Vanguard’s seed team, dedicated to bringing quality lettuce genetics to the market, will join Sakata Seed America and Vanguard’s breeding, seed production, sales, and marketing will be fully integrated under the Sakata brand.
“We are excited for this opportunity to expand our product line into the lettuce segment,” continues Nelson. “Lettuce is a widely consumed vegetable globally and this acquisition will enable Sakata to accelerate the development of lettuce varieties for global markets and position our company as a major player in the lettuce market segment.”
Sakata will also integrate the Vanguard team into daily operations and retain Vanguard’s Salinas warehouse and office location.
“The Vanguard team is excited to integrate operations with the Sakata team, and we look forward to continuing to develop the lettuce program backed by Sakata’s reputation for quality, reliability, and service. Sakata is a leader in the broccoli segment in the Salinas Valley and beyond; together we can create a similar success story for lettuce,” said Dave Henson, Co-Owner of Vanguard Seed.
Congratulations to Sakata Seed America and Vanguard Seed on their next phase of growth together!
