Sakata acquires Sana Seeds - Accelerating cucumber research and development and business in Europe

Sana Seeds, a Dutch company specialised in breeding, production and sale of high-quality cucumber varieties, joins Sakata Vegetables Europe. Sakata Seed Corporation (Yokohama.JAPAN) acquired Sana Seeds through its European regional subsidiary, European Sakata Holding S.A.S.

The Sakata Group is currently working to enhance its fruit vegetable portfolio around the world. Cucumbers are important and have a large global market, and we are trying to strengthen this crop. Sakata has been selling varieties of Sana Seeds, before the acquisition. Through this acquisition, we hope that this collaboration will accelerate our group's cucumber research and development, strengthen our cucumber business in Europe, and increase our corporate value.

Sana Seeds is a company that has very quickly been able to offer commercial varieties adapted to market requirements, especially, the "long type" segment, which is often used in Europe. Sana seeds breeders will join our cucumber research and development team to develop new varieties based at our Almeria research farm in Spain.

″This acquisition is in line with Sakata's strategy of always investing in innovation with a long-term approach, explains Basile de Bary, Sakata EMEA Vegetables Chief Executive Officer. Our partnership with Sana Seeds has become closer and closer over time. It led, naturally, Sana Seeds and Sakata joining forces today″.

At operational level, two of the four Sana Seeds shareholders are joining Sakata’s breeding teams. They will be based in Spain at Sakata’s Almeria station. ″Sana Seeds will have access to a large-scale sales network and solid facilities in terms of research, production and marketing. It will be a pleasure to see the range we have developed take on a bigger scope″, explains Frederik Gerrits, Managing Director of Sana Seeds.

Sakata combines ancestral know-how and high technology to create vegetable seeds that meet stringent requirements: yield, taste, disease resistance, adaptation to climatic hazards, etc. By continuing to supply high-quality varieties and seeds, we will continue to contribute to improving global nutrition and sustainable agriculture.