East-west Seed one of firms ‘doing good’

WORLD leading vegetable seed company East-west Seed Co. Ltd. was ranked at No. 28 out of 53 in Fortune Media Group Holding s’ s annual“change the world” list of global companies that are “doing well by doing good.”

The list is intended to showcase the power of capitalism to improve the human condition by identifying companies that have made an important social or environmental impact through their profit-making strategy and operations.

“Our focus is on smallholder farmers who play a critical role in ensuring the adequate supply of agricultural products. They produce 70 percent to 80 percent of the world’s food,” East-west Seed CEO Bert van der Feltz said. “They are vital to food security and nutrition, especially in developing countries.”

“Our model at East-west Seed proves that you can make a real difference in people’s lives while also operating a successful business, the two do not need to be mutually exclusive,” van der Feltz added.

Only for-profit businesses are eligible for the list, with Fortune evaluating and ranking each on four criteria including measurable social impact, business results, degree of innovation and corporate integration.

“The company, which has operations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America earns high marks for its local seed breeding efforts and the training it provides its customers,” Fortune said in the reasoning for East-west Seed’s ranking.

East-west Seed has its roots in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines. Founder Simon Groot started East-west Seed with Filipino seed trader Benito Domingo in 1982.

Back then, many farmers were having a hard time growing good crops because of the lowquality, poorly adapted seeds they often saved from season to season. Low-quality seeds resulted in low yields, which translated into poverty and malnutrition for farmers and their families.

Groot and Domingo sympathized with the farmers’ plight and saw a way to break the vicious cycle of poverty and help farmers prosper through diversification into high-value vegetable crops.

Today, East-west Seed is one of the world’s leading vegetable seed companies. The privately owned company has played an important role in the development and improvement of tropical vegetable varieties that are adapted to tropical markets and growing conditions.