MayFord Seeds (Pty) Ltd grew out of C. May & Co. which was founded in 1931.  This makes MayFord Seeds one of the oldest vegetable seed companies in South Africa.  As a four generation family business the company developed a diverse portfolio including seed production, hobby packet seed, professional vegetable, turf and flower seed, vegetable breeding programs and specialised products for the home garden industry.

In the late 1960’s MayFord became the sole distributor of Sakata’s products in Southern Africa.

1973 saw the introduction of the revolutionary hermetically sealed hobby packets which built the MayFord brand to be synonymous with high quality seed in Southern Africa.

A decade later, MayFord’s highly sophisticated seed laboratory was officially recognised as a government approved testing station.

In the middle of the 80’s the company transformed its distribution business and now distributes mainly through exclusive companies in South, Southern, Central and East Africa.

In December 1999, the Sakata Seed Corporation of Yokohama, Japan, acquired MayFord Seeds.  Sakata is currently one of the largest seed groups in the world with extensive global research programs in vegetable and flower seed.

On 1 April 2008 MayFord Seeds changed its name to Sakata Seed Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd, and uses the MayFord brand for its hobby and turf business.

The MayFord brand has a loyal following in Southern Africa and continues to offer a comprehensive range of consumer packs of vegetables, herbs, flowers and lawn grasses, through the retail trade to the home gardener.  Also under the MayFord brand is a range of professional turf products for golf courses, stadiums and other professional applications.  MayFord also have a unique range of rehabilitation grass mixes that were developed to suit specific climatic regions (known as biomes) within Southern Africa.

Sakata Seed Southern Africa is certified according to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, assuring our customers of the best possible products and service.