Seminis, Inc., the world's largest vegetable seed company, completed a EUR 1.4 million (1.9 million USD) renovation and expansion project at its European Support Center near Barcelona, Spain. The building will be officially inaugurated next week at a ceremony attended by employees and Seminis President and Chief Operating Officer Bruno Ferrari.

The 1,500 square-meter (16,000 sq. ft.) facility located in Montornes del Valles houses the company's regional management team and serves as a sales and distribution center for Spain, Portugal and several other countries. The renovated facility features 50% more office space as well as the latest voice and data communications equipment.

"Expanding and upgrading this facility provides us with the infrastructure we need to continue growing. Having our whole EMEA management team together not only increases operational efficiencies, but improves the quality of our service and facilitates the flow of products and information to our customers," said Bruno Rossolini, Seminis Regional Vice President. He thanked and recognized his predecessor Ricardo Castells, who recently retired from Seminis, for his vision and leadership in completing this project.

According to Mr. Rossolini, Seminis chose to expand its existing Barcelona facility and locate its regional management team here over a number of other locations in Western and Eastern Europe.

"Barcelona makes an ideal location. It's close to our customers, there's a large pool of highly skilled workers and there's ample transportation infrastructure to our key markets in Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East," said Mr. Rossolini. "Given the climate and cultural amenities, we have also attracted a broad international workforce, which is essential for a global company like Seminis." He indicated that one-third of the 60-member staff here are from outside Spain.

Formerly a farmhouse, Seminis' European Center sits on 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of land. In addition to offices, the facilities include three climate-controlled seed warehouses that hold seed at the ideal temperature and humidity prior to shipping.

Seminis is the world's largest developer, producer and marketer of vegetable seeds. Its products are designed to reduce the need for agricultural chemicals, increase crop yield, reduce spoilage, offer longer shelf life, and create better tasting foods and foods with better nutritional content. Seminis has established a worldwide presence and global distribution network that spans 150 countries and territories.