| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Products | more than 3,500 seed varieties |
| Revenue | US$ 569 million (2006) |
| Employees | 3,000 (2007) |
| Parent | Monsanto Company |
| Website | www.seminis.com |
Seminis is the largest developer, grower and marketer of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world. Seminis' hybrids claim to improve nutrition, boost crop yields, limit spoilage and reduce the need for chemicals. Their retail line includes over 3,500 seed varieties.
Seminis was established in 1994 to consolidate leading companies in the fragmented fruit and vegetable seed industry. The process was realized by takeovers of such companies (mostly Dutch) as: Asgrow[1], Petoseed[1], Royal Sluis[1], Bruinsma Seeds[1], Genecorp[1]. Monsanto still uses some of these brands[2].
On March 23, 2005, Monsanto Company announced that it had completed its acquisition of Seminis, Inc. According to the press release announcing the deal, Monsanto paid $1.4 billion in cash and assumed debt, plus a performance-based payment of up to $125 million payable by 2007.[1]
Private equity firm Fox Paine & Company made a sizable investment into the company.