Sevita Genetics Participates in 4.3 Million Dollar Initiative to Improve Food-Grade Soybean Varieties for Canadian Farmers 

Sevita Genetics, the soybean breeding division of Sevita International, is pleased to announce their participation in a $4.3 million dollar initiative to continue their work in improving performance of food-grade (non-GMO) soybeans for Canadian growers and creating value for end users around the world.

This support represents the company’s second successful application for funding from the Eastern Canada Oilseeds Development Alliance (ECODA) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), through the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to increase the profitability and sustainability of oilseed production and associated supply chains. The groups met on October 3rd in Charlottetown, PEI with the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and AgriFood, and Rory Francis, President of ECODA. 

“Oilseed crops are a vital part of farming here in Eastern Canada,” said Minister Lawrence MacAulay. “This support will help farmers stay ahead of challenges like climate change, while keeping their crops healthy and their farms productive. By working together, we’re ensuring a bright future for the oilseed industry and for Canadian agriculture.” (Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, 2024)

As part of this collaborative effort, Sevita will match the funds awarded to them over the next 5 years and will focus their work on the development of non-GMO soybean varieties that perform on Canadian farms and are highly sought after in international export markets due to their unique and valuable end use characteristics. 

Sevita Genetics is headquartered in Inkerman, Ontario, and focuses on the development of new soybean varieties for growers across Canada. The breeding program specializes in developing food-grade (non-GMO) soybean varieties destined for overseas markets. The research company also develops varieties with the Enlist E3™ platform. 

Sandy Hart, General Manager at Sevita International says…. “Funding through organizations like ECODA and AAFC helps Sevita Genetics enhance our breeding efforts to the benefit of everyone along the value chain. Greater investment simply results in better varieties with improved characteristics for our growers here in Canada, as it does for our customers making food with Sevita varieties around the world."

Sevita’s food-grade (non-GM) varieties are destined for overseas markets in Asia, Europe, and North America to be manufactured into soy food and beverages, such as tofu, miso, soy sauce, natto, and more. Sevita works directly with soy food and beverage manufacturers to develop varieties that medley desirable agronomic performance and ideal characteristics for their specific food use. End users are interested in qualities like protein, sugar, and oil content, seed size, isoflavone profiles, water absorption rates, and more. Domestically, soybean growers are looking for qualities like yield, adaptability to growing conditions, disease and pest resistance, etc. By increasing the breeding efforts of Sevita Genetics, through this partnership, Sevita continues to secure long-term international demand for soybeans that Canadian farmers are happy to grow. 

“Sevita Genetics benefits greatly from working with ECODA,” said David Hendrick, one of the founders of Sevita Genetics, states while receiving the funding on behalf of Sevita Genetics in Charlottetown, “The research program to date has provided producers with yield-competitive and agronomically strong soybean varieties, helping us register Canada’s first high oleic soybean variety. Consumers and the marketplace are demanding more non-GMO plant protein, and we aim to commercialize the research results to the benefit of growers, processors, exporters, and consumers.” 

Sevita International has commercialized twelve, high-performing, non-GM varieties to Canadian growers in the past 3 years – all born out of the Sevita Genetics breeding program. Sevita proudly introduced Canada's first non-GM, high oleic soybean variety, Alinova, in 2022. This variety was developed in part with funding from ECODA and was a joint effort between Sevita Genetics and a food manufacturer in Japan. Alinova is the first of its kind in Canada and performs comparatively if not superior to standard GM varieties in the field from a yield perspective. Another recent success out of the Sevita Genetics breeding program is the creation of the variety Matilda. This variety was commercialized by Sevita International in 2023 and has been a top yielder in provincial trials. It is also in high demand in Asia for its desirable characteristics for soymilk manufacturing. The above are examples of how the Sevita Genetics breeding program and Sevita International are creating value for local Canadian growers through yield performance and strong international demand from food manufacturers.