Dec 17, 2003

Royal Van Zanten LLC Sells FacilitySource: Various

Since the announcement of the new venture between Ball Seed Company and Royal Van Zanten, LLC for Ball to have the exclusive rights to all CBA- and Cleangro-bred chrysanthemum varieties formerly produced by Royal Van Zanten in North America, there have been some new developments.

Because Ball Seed is moving mum production to a different facility called Milgro Newcastle, Inc., Newcastle, Utah, the two current locations in Nipomo, Calif., have or are looking for a new buyer. The facility that Royal VanZanten was planning to move into in the near future was sold to Growers Transplanting Inc. (GTI). GTI is the largest, full-service, vegetable transplanting company in the United States with locations in Arizona and California. GTI also owns Rocket Farms, which is one of the largest growers of poinsettias and other potted plants sold to retailers throughout California.

The sale took place in June, and after talking to Sergio Silva, president of GTI, they are very excited about the new facility. Silva said that they are currently in the process of renovating the land and greenhouse to be put to use on yet-to-be-determined crop. He also said that the location is a great place for growing, making a large impact for their business.

The other Royal facility, where the 2003 Pack Trials was held, is currently up for sale and looking for a new potential buyer. For more information on this topic, stay tuned to GPN Weekly for updates.