After a career in plant breeding spanning over 40 years, Javier Bernabeu, founder and, until now, managing director of Sakata Seed Ibérica for 30 years, has announced his retirement. His position will be taken over by Francisco Morales, who until now has been in charge of protected crops in the company.
Bernabéu started his relationship with Sakata in 1995. He first worked at Sakata's newly opened European facilities in the Netherlands, and two years later, he founded Sakata Seed Ibérica. "In the 80s and 90s, the Netherlands was much more important than it is today, as neither Almeria nor Murcia had as much production as they do now. Little by little, we saw the market increasingly moving towards Spain, and that was when we decided to open the first Spanish facilities, seeing that we could stand out in brassicas," says Javier Bernabeu.
© Sakata Seed Ibérica
Its Iberian subsidiary has managed to position Sakata as a leader in brassica seeds in Spain and turned it into one of the most important subsidiaries in Europe, with broccoli as its flagship crop. "When Sakata Seed Ibérica was first set up, there were around 10,000 hectares devoted to broccoli and now the acreage exceeds 60,000 hectares. The company became committed to the development of this crop early on and launched programs strongly focused on Murcia and other growing areas in Spain. This allowed this crop to reach the magnitude it has now," he says. "Few crops have developed as quickly as broccoli."
In fact, at some point, Sakata managed to account for more than 85% of the broccoli seeds in Spain. "Our market share now ranges between 65 and 70%, as competition has increased. Back when we started, there were just two breeding companies, and nowadays there are around 20, a testament of the crop's development in Spain."
"Over the years, we have been implementing the development of programs for other protected crops in Almeria, such as pepper, zucchini, and cucumber, for which I see increasingly better prospects," says Javier Bernabeu.
Known for his passion for seeds, dynamism, constant effort, and simplicity, Javier Bernabeu has gained the respect and admiration of the whole sector for his huge commitment to promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. As founder of +Brócoli, the Sakata Awards, Love Klabaza, and brands such as Bimi, and as a member of the boards of 5 al Dia and Anove, he has managed to provide value and visibility to the sector.
"In addition to allowing Sakata to consolidate its position as leading company in the sector, my main goal has been to make everyone aware of the value of agriculture and seeds for the food system," says Javier Bernabéu, who assures that although his time to retire has come, he will remain forever linked to the sector and to Sakata.
Francisco Morales, who has more than 25 years of experience in the agricultural sector, 18 of them in the world of seeds as head of crop development, is now taking over the management of Sakata.
© Sakata Seed Iberica
Morales, who has an extensive career in team management and variety launching both in the Iberian Peninsula and in Europe, has worked alongside Javier for the last 5 years. Both are, in fact, key players in one of the Japanese group's most important projects: the new Research and Production Station in Vícar, the next headquarters of Sakata Seed Ibérica, the company's flagship in its strategy of positioning and developing protected crops.
"Taking over from Javier gives me great pride and is a huge responsibility, as we'll remain strongly committed to the production sector and the entire value chain. Together with the entire team of professionals that make up Sakata Iberica, we'll continue to pursue the growth that the company expects in a cutting-edge global market," says Francisco Morales.
For more information:
Cari Plaza
Sakata Seed Ibérica
cari.plaza@sakata.eu
sakataiberica.com