Snowy River Seeds

What started as a small cooperative of local vegetable farmers back in the 1960s has since grown into a multi-million dollar agribusiness exporting across the globe.

The story of Snowy River Seeds is one rooted in ambitious scientific advancement and a close understanding of the end user and their demands of the product.

Back in the early days of Snowy River Seeds, a few of those foundational members took a trip to the United States where they got a look at the major sweet corn seed suppliers, which at that time were on the industry’s cutting edge.

They began to understand the potential of not only using US corn seed varieties here in Australia, but also of the export potential of corn seed developed and produced at home and sold to the world.

They were right.

While for many years the bulk of their business was the domestic market for corn seed, today they compete directly with the agribusiness giants providing seed to every continent in the world, except Antarctica.

Snowy River Seeds maintains strong local connections, contracting with Gippsland Seed Service for seed production, and administering research trials in Orbost and Lindenow, as well as Bathurst and northern and southern Queensland, in addition to breeding and testing programs in New Zealand, USA, France, Hungary, China, South Africa and South America.

The Snowy River Seeds brand is synonymous and widely recognised for quality and service and is one of the leading suppliers of sweet corn genetics globally.

With lasting success has come the attention of other businesses in the sector, and in recent years the local co-op turned private company was purchased by the Idaho-based Crookham Company.

When asked what it is that makes Snowy River Seeds stand out in a fiercely competitive industry, plant breeder Damien Courtier gives an old-fashioned answer.

“We are close to our customers,” he says. “We have boots in the fields, so we know what is happening on their farms, what the conditions are, and what the concerns of the growers are.”

“It takes 10 to 12 years to develop new seed genetics, so you have to know what the growers might need before they even know they need it. For that to be possible you have to have an understanding of what’s required, and that only comes from good relationship with growers.”

For more information about Snowy River Seeds visit www.snowyriverseeds.com