Starke Ayres (Pty) Ltd

Starke Ayres is a vegetable, flower and lawn seed company founded in South Africa in 1877. Headquartered in Johannesburg, Starke Ayres describes itself as the leading vegetable seed supplier in Africa and a preferred international supplier of premium seed varieties to professional growers, with a sales network in more than 60 countries on five continents.

Registered name

Starke Ayres (Pty) Ltd

Type

Private company (vegetable, flower and lawn seed)

Fields funded

Plant science, genetics and breeding, microbiology, plant pathology, plant production and soil science

Website

starkeayres.com

Phone

011 748 3588

Helping end hunger

Starke Ayres says its goal is to help end hunger, starting with the highest quality seed. Starke Ayres invests significant resources in researching and developing varieties that maximise farmers’ yields, breeds its own seed varieties, and sources stock from international suppliers. Starke Ayres serves both commercial farmers and home gardeners.

After-sales service and expansion

Starke Ayres puts strong emphasis on after-sales service, helping farmers grow crops successfully and get them to market through in-house sales representatives and agents worldwide. Demand for its seed has led Starke Ayres to establish operations in Kenya, Namibia and Zambia. Starke Ayres’ website also links to the Plennegy Group, an agricultural business founded in 1958 whose core work is growing food and serving those who grow it.

Quality you can test

Starke Ayres’ Quality Assurance Laboratory is accredited by the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). As an ISTA member laboratory, Starke Ayres can issue ISTA Orange International Certificates, which trading partners around the world recognise as proof that seed has been tested according to ISTA rules for qualities such as germination and purity.

Careers at Starke Ayres

Starke Ayres says its success depends on its employees and looks for people passionate about agriculture who want to make a positive impact, offering growth opportunities and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Seed companies employ plant breeders, pathologists, seed technologists, laboratory analysts, production agronomists and sales agronomists.

The Starke Ayres bursary

Starke Ayres’ bursaries develop plant scientists, breeders and soil scientists from BSc to PhD level, in plant science, genetics and breeding, microbiology and plant pathology, plant production and soil science. Past bursaries covered registration, tuition, books and residence up to an annual limit. Starke Ayres’ bursary page was accepting applications through its online graduate portal but showed no closing date when BursariesAfrica checked.

How to research Starke Ayres

Visit a garden centre and look at Starke Ayres’ seed packets to see which crops it breeds, and read about seed testing so you understand ISTA certification. Apply early, since no closing date is shown.

See also the Hortgro bursary.