Mar 11, 2022

Sakata Seed America opens lettuce distribution facility in Marina, California

Sakata Seed America is solidifying its leadership position in the lettuce category, announcing a new, permanent lettuce distribution facility and appointing a new lettuce product manager, all within the past few weeks.

Since the company’s acquisition of prominent lettuce company, Vanguard Seed, in 2020, Sakata has quickly scaled their lettuce seed program, leveraging existing R&D, pathology, sales and marketing, supply chain, and production teams to streamline future breeding efforts and efficiently meet market demand.

“We’re dedicated to success in the lettuce category; success for the grower/shipper and success for the end consumer. As a known leader in broccoli and brassicas, we saw obvious synergy with the lettuce segment, which is only strengthened by our prominence in the Salinas Valley,” said Justin Davis, director of sales and marketing. “The next phase is to continue investment in the lettuce product development team and infrastructure expansion.”

Sakata’s new lettuce distribution facility, located at 3345 Paul Davis Drive, Marina, California, is central to the Salinas Valley, allowing for easy seed pick up for customers. The facility offers over 20,000 square feet, providing ample warehouse space, temperature-controlled storage, and an office area — all to accommodate a growing team and promising crop venture.

In addition to a new facility announcement, Sakata has added a new team member, Jonny McIntier, to manage the lettuce program. McIntier is widely known in the vegetable seed industry, boasting over 20 years of experience, including a long tenure at Bayer where he specialized in technical development and sales for crops including lettuce, broccoli, melon, carrot, peppers, cauliflower, and watermelon.

“McIntier is a fantastic addition to the team; his knowledge is vast in product development and management, and he has a thorough understanding of breeding techniques, product launches and life cycles,” said Davis. “He will be based out of our Yuma, Arizona facility, keeping him close to another major lettuce growing region.”

The new lettuce distribution facility will be fully operational beginning Monday, March 21. To learn more about Sakata lettuce, other crops or personnel, please visit www.sakatavegetables.com.