PanAmerican Seed Hits Major Milestone in 2022

PanAmerican Seed has reached a milestone anniversary in the horticulture industry. The company is celebrating 75 years spanning decades of innovations and firsts in the world of seed through dedication and long-term, solutions-driven teamwork. Throughout 2022, to mark such an occasion, PanAmerican Seed will share a historical look back through a video timeline, as well as share memories through blogs and social media posts of several groundbreaking product introductions and other milestones developed by the company and its plant breeders over the years.

“Reaching our 75th Anniversary is truly a team effort and one that wouldn’t be possible without our customers and colleagues,” says Anne Leventry, President of PanAmerican Seed. “So often we focus on the future and the next big accomplishment that it feels quite rewarding to take a moment to look back at all that’s come before and the impact it’s had on the industry. We’re thrilled to celebrate our past and take this company into the next age of seed development.”

• PanAmerican Seed Co. began in 1946 in Paonia, CO, as an idea of industry pioneers Claude Hope, Bob Holley, and Charlie Weddle. Double Petunias, Begonias, and Snapdragons starred in the initial assortment; the Costa Rica production facility broke ground in the 1950s.
• The company joined Ball Horticultural Company in 1962; by 1969, the introduction of the Elfin Impatiens forever changes bedding plant sales across the globe. The series was improved in 1980 with Super Elfin, the best-selling impatiens in their class.
• The PanAmerican Seed Elburn, IL, facility opened, and development continued through the 1970s and 1980s.
• More revolutionary plants emerged in the 1990s, such as award-winning Wave Petunias and Dragon Wing Begonias.
• In the early 2000s, Waller genetics brought Sorbet Violas and Pacifica Vincas into the assortment; the Kieft Seed acquisition in 2009 expanded the perennial category.
• The introduction of the HandPicked Vegetables Collection in 2015 amplified efforts to sell vegetables and herbs for both home garden and fresh market growers.
• Beacon Impatiens launched and brought disease-resistant I. walleriana back to shade gardens worldwide in 2019.
• In 2021, the Artisan Collection of Echinacea became the first F1 hybrid seed Echinacea of individual colors, further diversifying PanAmerican Seed’s innovative portfolio in perennials and seed technologies.

Visit www.PanAmSeed.com for the full walk down memory lane and to explore the products and milestones that have left their mark along 75 years of innovation.