Founded in 1982 by Dutch seedsman Simon Groot, the 2019 World Food Prize Laureate, East-West Seed is one of the world’s leading vegetable seed companies in Asia and expanding rapidly in Africa and Latin America. 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. Its mission is to provide innovative products and services that help to improve the livelihood of vegetable farmers. In addition, East-West Seed trains vegetable farmers in order to help maximize their yield and income through better knowledge on vegetable production and farming skills. In 2019 it ranked number 1 on the Access to Seeds Index for Global Seed Companies and number 1 for South and Southeast Asia Index. In 2016 it ranked number 1 on the Access to Seeds Global Index for Vegetable Seed Companies and on the Regional Index for Eastern Africa. East-West Seed has its headquarters in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The company employs about 5,000 people and has 12 R&D establishments in 6 countries. With exports to over 60 countries in tropical areas, East-West Seed serves nearly 20 million farmers around the world.