Well Pict European Ltd – Formation of the company

Well-Pict European Ltd is a company registered in England as a partnership between Tim Miyasaka and Martin Seymour. Both individuals have established and expanding businesses developing production and marketing of quality berries.

Well-Pict in California had always been a considerable inspiration for Martin Seymour the founder of AMS Ltd. Well-Pict's integrated approach to high quality production and marketing focusing on berry varieties bespoke to the company and bred by Plant Sciences Inc.

During the early 1990s AMS had a considerable penetration of the British market with imported Well-Pict berries. The strawberry supply from Well-Pict being highly reliable in supply and very importantly superior to the berries produced at that time in Britain. strawberry, strawberry, strawberry, strawberry

The market and supply base in Britain began to change in the mid-1990s. As the British pound weakened against the dollar it was also strengthening against European currencies. As things are today Southern European berries are 40 - 50% less expensive than imported Californian. British production has become more reliable as an increased acreage has been covered to protect from rain and the quality of late summer and autumn strawberry varieties although still not good have improved.

Variety development in strawberries is key to the whole industry. While Well-Pict had formed an important association with Plant Science Inc. of California to provide new selections of strawberry for Northern California there was no similar development in Europe. Martin Seymour saw an opportunity to develop AMS' own growing and those of its close grower associates through the adoption of a similar liaison with Plant Science, through Well-Pict. In the autumn of 1996 the first few Well-Pict/Plant Science varieties were brought to Europe for trail in Spain and Portugal. strawberry, strawberry, strawberry, strawberry

The rationale behind the formation of Well-Pict European (WPE), in the winter of 1999, was thus a mix of; necessity to maintain a supply of Well-Pict quality berries produced and sold in Europe and to grasp the opportunity to penetrate the much larger berry market of Europe.

The original objectives are still the key driving force behind WPE Ltd. The berry business is very dynamic and subject to competition, so it was perhaps no great surprise that one of Well-Pict`s principal competitors in California should follow Well-Pict across the Atlantic and establish its own associations with northern and southern European growing organisations.