Before there was Levi Strauss, Bell Telephone Company, or Procter & Gamble, there was Germain’s Fruit and Produce Company—a business that has adapted and persevered to celebrate its milestone 150th anniversary in 2021.
Although the company now known as Germains Seed Technology has changed considerably since it was founded by Eugene Germain in 1871, it continues to “maximize nature’s potential” through innovation, quality, and flexibility—just as it has since the very beginning.
Today, Germains Seed Technology is a leader in the international seed industry, delivering highly specialized seed pellet and treatment technologies for sugar beet, vegetable, and field crop seed producers and growers across the globe. The company operates from nine global locations across North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Germains’ North America Horticulture Production Facility and Research & Development Center are located in Gilroy, California, and its North America Sugar Beet Production Facility is in Fargo, North Dakota.
Victoria Lawrence, Managing Director of Germains Seed Technology, stated, “We are incredibly proud to celebrate this milestone anniversary with the multiple generations of employees, customers and partners who have grown right along with us. Staying true to the vision of our founder, we remain dedicated to using cutting-edge science and seed technology to develop solutions that benefit people around the world. We look forward to continuing to evolve and solve new challenges for the next 150 years!”
The company was founded by Eugene Germain, a Swiss immigrant who opened Germain’s Fruit and Produce Company in the small, sleepy town of Los Angeles in 1871. The Southern California climate proved ideal for agriculture, and the business expanded quickly, moving to a larger location in 1898 that was billed as “the most complete seed store in the West.”
The company embraced flexibility from the start, branching into a wide range of different crops and agricultural business ventures over the years. Early in the 20th century, Germain’s shipped the very first carload of oranges from California to the East Coast. Later, in 1954, the company introduced the “Queen Elizabeth” pink grandiflora rose, which was named in honor of the newly crowned queen and remains one of the most popular cultivars grown today.
As a company, Germains has always fostered a culture of innovation, research, and development. In the early 1950s, Germain’s formed the Filcoat Processed Seed Division and introduced the first pelleted seed into the American market. Pelleting made it easier to precisely plant small, irregularly shaped seeds using automated planters and also provided a way to apply protectants needed to control pests and disease.
