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Village Farms has exclusive seed deal with Axia

February 2, 2015  By Dave Harrison



Feb. 2, 2015, Vancouver — Village Farms International, Inc. has signed a long-term exclusive seed agreement with Axia Vegetable Seeds, BV.

 
Axia is an innovative breeding company specializing in the development of vegetable seeds for protected crops. This is the first time Axia Vegetable Seeds will partner with any company in North America under an exclusive agreement.

“Village Farms is steadfast in searching the world over to bring consumer centric varieties to market and the Axia partnership is another positive result of our dedication to this mission,” said Village Farms president and CEO Michael A. DeGiglio.
 
According to Axia, the partnership will highlight their portfolio of products for the North American consumer.
 
“Axia has found in Village Farms a partner who understands how to create value with our tomato varieties through the importance of creating a brand in the food supply chain that is focused primarily on the consumer,” said Axia CEO Alois van Vliet.

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The new exclusive seed agreement will continue to allow Village Farms to expand and focus its production and sales efforts on smaller more flavorful tomato varieties, which is a continuing trend with retailers, chefs and consumers.
 
Since the launch of its initial exclusive seed agreement for the Mini San Marzano in 2013, it has expanded this variety from an initial one acre of production to over 40 acres by the end of the 2015 crop cycle, representing over 17 per cent of production capacity.

The initial 2015 launch of the new exclusive seed agreement with Axia will start small, but based on early retailer feedback, Village Farms has high expectations of its ability to quickly expand its production acreage for this variety.
 
In addition, it’s working with Axia and other seed companies on exclusive agreements, as it continues to move away from the larger tomato varieties, which are losing market share and are grown by most growers in North America, to distinguish itself with exclusive varieties for local production.

ABOUT VILLAGE FARMS

Village Farms is one of the largest producers, marketers and distributors of premium-quality, greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers in North America.


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