Melon, broccoli still linchpins of veteran seed breeder with ‘taste comes first’ motto. Broccoli seeds are still Sakata’s mainstay, accounting for about 80% of its sales. But its Piel de Sapo (also called Christmas) melon varieties are big sellers in the EU, especially Spain, and form a quarter of its global sales for this crop.
Sakata continually seeks to optimise its range and is starting to expand its portfolio of varieties with new types of broccoli. As a company where “Taste comes first®”, Sakata focuses not just on varieties with improved performance for growers, but added value in terms of the eating experience of consumers. With this in mind, it is also launching a branded range of specialty/cocktail tomatoes varieties, Majestar®, which includes only those varieties with a minimum level of flavour. “In the coming year, we plan to expand this concept into a wide range of other vegetables and fruits,” said Andrew Dominy, head of marketing.