Brand Platform to Reaffirm Commitment to Customer and Partners

Melbourne, 4 October 2021 – Bayer has unveiled the “Vegetables by Bayer” brand platform, uniting two trusted brands, Seminis^® and De Ruiter^®, under one shared purpose with a new brand identity, positioning, and global website (vegetables.bayer.com)

Seminis and De Ruiter have long provided cutting-edge solutions for customers in diverse open-field and protected environments. Now, they will join forces as part of “Vegetables by Bayer” with refreshed branding and an even deeper commitment to delivering value at every step – to growers, partners, consumers, and the planet.

“By bringing together world-class experts and resources from across Bayer, the new ‘Vegetables by Bayer' umbrella enables our Seminis and De Ruiter brands to provide value to our customers and partners in new and exciting ways,” said Darren Wood, Commercial Lead of Vegetable Seeds Australia and New Zealand at Bayer.

That value is reflected across four core pillars: partnership, innovation, performance, and sustainability.

• Partnership: The recently opened De Ruiter Experience Center in Australia is one example of Bayer’s commitment to partnering with our local community in the produce industry. Utilising a seven metre high purpose-built glasshouse in partnership with local grower SA Tomatoes, Vegetables by Bayer focusses on bringing the latest breeding, cultivation and digital technologies for sustainable tomato production under local growing conditions.
• Innovation: New varieties within Bayer’s High Rise™ broccoli series grow tall and feature strong, clean stems with few large leaves and visible crowns that are firm and heavy. The uniform maturity, strong yield potential and consistent product quality help growers to achieve efficient harvests through less harvest passes and the ability to adopt mechanised harvesting.
• Performance: From best-in-class seeds to an expert agronomic service with tailored digital solutions, Bayer have developed a 360° virtual tour of the De Ruiter Experience Center where customers can experience and interact with all De Ruiter has to offer, remotely. We bring our customers direct access to all the latest varieties from overseas faster and provide opportunities for growers to collaborate on a regular basis to share knowledge or ask questions.

• Sustainability: According to the FAO, approximately one third of all food produced for human consumption globally is lost or wasted each year. With its Seminis and De Ruiter vegetable seeds, Bayer is committed to helping reduce food loss and waste, ensuring high-quality, nutritious produce reaches more consumers.

The launch comes as the United Nations celebrates the “International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021” which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption. “From our industry-leading R&D to tailored solutions that go beyond the seed to meet the evolving needs of the market, ‘Vegetables by Bayer’ reflects our commitment to helping our customers grow their businesses so together we can foster a healthier, more sustainable world,” said Mr Wood.

Learn more at vegetables.bayer.com

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care, nutrition and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. The company has operated in Australia since 1925 and has a long term commitment to the health and nutrition of all Australians. Locally, Bayer currently employs almost 900 people across the country and is dedicated to servicing the needs of rural and remote communities. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. For more information, go to crop.bayer.com.au

Contact:

Lachlan Bird, phone +61 407 885 209

Email: lachlan.bird@bayer.com

ljb                   (2021-0927)

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

New Zealand Contact:

Marco Lozada

De Ruiter Business Manager

Bayer Vegetables New Zealand

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Bayer New Zealand Ltd

Vegetable Seeds Division

704 Harrisville Road,

Pukekohe RD2 2677

Tel: +64 09 239 0666

Mobile: +64 27 222 2432

Mail: maco.lozada@bayer.com

Web: http://www.bayer.com I http://www.deruiter.com