15 March 2022

Leading tropical vegetable seeds company, East-West Seed, founded 40 years ago, establishes a strong foothold in Brazil through the acquisition of Hortec Tecnologia de Sementes Ltda, a Brazilian vegetable seeds company based in Bragança Paulista, São Paulo.
 

Leading tropical vegetable seeds company, East-West Seed, founded 40 years ago, establishes a strong foothold in Brazil through the acquisition of Hortec Tecnologia de Sementes Ltda, a Brazilian vegetable seeds company based in Bragança Paulista, São Paulo. It has over 30 years of experience, a strong portfolio of vegetable varieties like tomatoes and lettuce, and well-established seed production and processing capacity. 

Douwe Zijp, CEO of East-West Seed, says: “We are excited and happy about this acquisition. It accelerates our company’s business strategy to strengthen our activities in Latin America. This creates the needed foothold to make our quality seeds and services also available for smallholder farmers in Brazil. We see huge potential in Brazil’s large and growing market for quality vegetable seeds. Hortec is the ideal partner for East-West Seed, as it shares the same value in targeting smallholder farmers growing vegetables for local markets. It has a strong portfolio, good facilities, and a dedicated and capable team. Since people and teamwork are essential to East-West Seed’s success, our priority will be to establish good cooperation between our global and Brazilian teams. East-West Seed wants to provide strong support to market development and is committed to investing in capacity building and R&D.”

Sebastião Donizete Gonçalves, owner of Hortec Sementes, comments: “Due to succession issues, I searched for an investor to take over Hortec. I looked for a professional seed company that would treat my clients, partners and staff well. I am confident that I will leave my company in good hands with East-West Seed, as it shares our smallholder farmer focus and plans to further invest in the company and team. I foresee a bright future for Hortec under the wings of East-West Seed and its contribution to Brazilian horticulture and food system."

Douwe Zijp and Sebastião Donizete Gonçalves signed and celebrated the takeover with a Town Hall meeting and a festive lunch with all Brazilian staff on Tuesday 15 March, in the presence of Paul van de Logt, Agricultural Counselor for Brazil at the Dutch Embassy, Jéferson Silveira of Silveira Capital, several high government officials, and visiting East-West Seed team members. 

Website: https://www.eastwestseed.com/

Published: April 21, 2022