Takii combines traditional breeding with ultra modern technology

“Yes, we are a Japanese family-owned company founded 182 years ago but in our breeding activities traditional breeding values combine with ultra-modern techniques,” says Ton Kuipers, Managing Director of Takii Europe. “There is growth and, therefore, we’ve had a recent reshuffle of activities.”

Takii is a Japanese breeder with locations worldwide specialising in breeding and the production of seeds. “Our products are seeds for flowers and vegetables,” says Kuipers. “Because of our size (1200 employees worldwide) we can be part of strategic partnerships using cutting-edge breeding and propagating techniques. But there is still a lot of traditional craftsmanship within our company.”

Growth strategy

One of Takii’s locations is in De Kwakel, Netherlands, near Aalsmeer in the heartland of Dutch floristry. Kuipers: “We started there in 1990. Now we’re working on an important goal in Takii’s growth strategy. It focusses on a limited number of interesting crops with which the company aims for a top three position.

Takii has a foothold in Japan and elsewhere in South East Asia. This is what you would call stable growth, slow but steady. Accelerated growth can be achieved in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. That’s where we come in. Since May 1 our job is to take care of African and Middle East interests in addition to our European business. One of the reasons to do this is the time difference with Japan. In these regions it is more convenient to do business in Europe. Moreover, in Holland we have closer ties to African and Middle East horticulture. And, of course, Takii has products of interest for these regions.”

Packaging line

One of the investments made in the De Kwakel location is a new packaging line. European growers are used to receiving their seeds in foil packaging. But in Africa and the Middle East storage conditions are not always optimal so growers there like their seeds to be delivered in cans. That’s why they’ve built this packaging line, so clients can get their products as fresh as possible.