SALINAS, CA - Enza Zaden is on the move in both size and portfolio, announcing double the square footage for its Salinas, CA, headquarters and new varieties to position it for growth in the organic sector.
“Our building expansion allows us to offer significantly increased inventory of diverse crops, which is important to growers across the U.S. but especially here in the Salinas Valley, where we have a dedicated team on the ground to directly service regional growers,” said Ton van der Velden, President and CEO, Enza Zaden USA, in a press release. The new 43,000-square-foot building sports a sustainably-focused design, as well as an industrial-quality seed processing, storage, and distribution center.
“From water and energy efficiency, to effective use of regional and recycled materials, to the state-of-the-art quality of the indoor environment, these companies helped us to meet our sustainable construction goals,” said Mike Moline, the company’s Building Expansion and Seed Operations Manager. An additional phase taking place next year will bring more than 700 solar panels to enhance energy efficiency as well.
On the heels of the new, modern building, the company announced an exciting new partnership venture for its organic arm, Vitalis, with Wholesum Harvest, featuring tomatoes grown with Vitalis organic seed, and marketed by Wholesum under the unique “Vitalis Born, Wholesum Raised” label.
“This partnership reflects our belief in organic seed as the first input to an organic production system, and our capacity to leverage our extensive research operation to develop cultivars with the traits most needed by organic growers,” said Erica Renaud, Regional Business Manager, Organics & Herbs Vitalis Organic Seeds, Enza Zaden North America, Inc.
The new headquarters’ industrial seed processing facility includes full organic handling certification, and offers extensive local inventory for both organic and conventional seed.
