Valent, Pace International sign marketing and sales agreement

Valent BioSciences Corporation (VBC) announced that Valent U.S.A. Corporation will manage the marketing and sales of Pace International’s preharvest line within the U.S. beginning March 1. The products protect tree fruit crops from adverse environmental effects and crop stress, and include Raynox®, Raynox® Organic, and RainGard®, among others.

The move is a three-way agreement between the companies following VBC’s acquisition of Pace International for $65M in December of last year. As part of the transition, Pace will continue to support their preharvest products outside the U.S. while managing global sales for its industry leading line of postharvest products.

"We are pleased to bring this line of quality products into our rapidly expanding portfolio of VBC biorationals,” said Andy Lee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Valent U.S.A. “Given our strong position in the pome fruit and stone fruit markets, this move provides excellent growth opportunities for these brands. These complementary products enhance the broad base of value-based solutions we provide to our customers.”

The preharvest line includes Raynox, a leading tool for apple growers in areas where sunburn control is essential for maintaining fruit quality. Raynox Organic plays a key role in the Pacific Northwest, where organic production is important and the risk from sunburn damage is high. RainGard, which inhibits the fruit’s ability to absorb water after a rain event, is used by cherry growers to reduce cracking by as much as 50%.

Pace Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Roberto Carpentier says the realignment helps Pace focus fully on the postharvest market.

"By joining VBC and the Sumitomo Chemical Company organization, we have immediately expanded our capacity and our reach,” said Carpentier. “The move of our preharvest products to Valent BioSciences, with distribution and local marketing by Valent U.S.A., is a perfect example of an area where we can gain efficiencies without sacrificing our customer service or satisfaction. With strong ties to the industry and world-class technical knowledge, the VBC and Valent U.S.A. teams are ready to take these valuable grower tools to new heights while Pace can be fully committed to our growing postharvest business.”

The products will continue to be manufactured at the Pace facility in Wapato, WA. The companies are working together to ensure a smooth business transition for customers.