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V O L . X X I I N O. I X M AY 2 , 2 0 1 6 12 W alking around Johnny's Selected Seeds' research farm, one expects to see rows and acres of commercial seed-producing plants. But most of the seeds sold by Johnny's are produced in the parts of the world where they grow best, and then are harvested by Johnny's. At the research farm, company founder and Chairman Rob Johnston Jr. continually probes and tests to produce seeds that could potentially grow into plumper tomatoes or tastier lettuce. During the 2015 growing season the farm grew nearly 140,000 seedlings on its 29 miles of formed beds. For testing, new breeds grow alongside existing ones to compare the look, taste and other features, says Johnston, who founded the company in 1973. He now spends most of his time working to create better seeds, but also relaxes part of the year with his wife at their residence in France. "Plant breeding and genetics is an introverted vocation," says Johnston, adding that it suits him to be in a nursery with earth under his feet. "Most of our seeds [for sale] aren't grown here," adds David Mehlhorn, vice president of sales and market- ing at the company's Fairfield headquarters. Johnny's also has a customer fulfillment center and retail store in Winslow and the research farm in Albion. "ey're grown all over the world in the best areas environmen- tally to grow them, the most productive places." Yet, in Maine, Johnny's is a beehive of activity. e company packs 1.5 million units of seeds annu- ally, primarily by hand. It sells about 1,827 products, including seeds, tools, fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides. It also sells about 433 organic varieties. It uses about 200 different vendors to sell seeds, supplies and tools that it makes itself or resells other brands. ough it sells online and through its retail store, Johnny's is best known for its catalogs, which contain about 1,500 varieties of seeds. is season, from November 2015 to February 2016, Johnny's mailed 1.1 million catalogs. Each year it adds about 200 new seed varieties to the catalog, and about another 200 are retired. Revenue is about $40 million, and the growth rate has been about 8% in the last couple years, Mehlhorn says. Mehlhorn says Johnny's competes with about 20 regional seed companies, including Mount Vernon, Wash.-based Osborne Seed Co., rather than the giants like Warminster, Pa.-based W. Atlee Burpee & Co. Most of the Johnny's business, Johnston says, is in the United States, but it also exports products to 50 countries. 'Back to the land' redux Johnston started the company in 1973 at age 22 with $500 in savings in a New Hampshire farm attic during the back to the land movement, which has resurfaced in some ways in the recent farm-to-fork movement and boom in avid home gardeners, who account for about 25%-30% of Johnny's sales. e other 70% goes to commercial customers, Johnston says. A mathematics and chemistry major at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Johnston dropped out after two years to work first at a natural food store in Providence, R.I., and in 1972 on a com- munal truck farm in southern New Hampshire, where he got his first experience with large-scale farming and the seed business. He began focusing on seeds because a customer in New York wanted specialty produce. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Johnny's Selected Seeds 13 Main St., Fairfield (plus a distribution center and retail store in Winslow and a research farm in Albion) Founded: 1973 Chairman: Rob Johnston Jr. Company: Became ESOP in 2005, fully owned by employees in 2012 Business: Breeds, tests, sells seeds plus farm tools and supplies via catalogs, Internet, storefront Employees in Maine: 210 full-time and seasonal Number of Products: 1,827 Sales: Company is private. Average annual sales are $40 million. Sales grew at a rate of about 8% in the last couple years. Contact: (207) 238-5347 / www.johnnyseeds.com Steve Rodrigue sprinkles arugula seeds in a greenhouse at the Albion research farm belonging to Johnny's Selected Seeds. Johnny's Selected Seeds continues growth and expansion B y L o r i V a L i g r a Employee Owned, customer grown

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