Varieties including Bronco forage oats will be available through AlfaGen Seeds, the rebranded S&W Seeds Australia.

FORAGE and pasture seed business S&W Seed Company is rebranding as AlfaGen Seeds under its new owner Avior Capital Partners.

The move will see the operation continue after 40 years in Australia, but as a separate entity to the United States-based S&W Seeds, following the local division being placed in administration in July.

A statement released by AlfaGen Seeds today said Avior Capital Partners will act as non-operational financial owners.

AlfaGen’s business is based on seed varieties of crops including: lucerne; pasture legumes; ryegrass; forage sorghum; forage cereal, and sunflowers, and the company said it had new products in development for domestic and international markets.

“I acknowledge the past few months have been an extraordinarily difficult period…but I’d like to take this opportunity to thank staff and creditors for their continued support, and I look forward to this exciting new chapter of AlfaGen Seeds and its future,” AlfaGen Seeds chief executive officer Cameron Henley said.

“In the coming months, customers and industry will notice a gradual roll out of new branding, as we transition all products to AlfaGen Seeds,” said Mr Henley.

“Our priority is to ensure we’re delivering high-quality seed to the domestic market, as well as focusing on the export of quality, Australian grown seed to key international markets, including Africa, Asia and the Middle East.”

As reported by Grain Central in August, S&W Seeds Australia had six properties in Australia and one leased site in Jordan.

As AlfaGen, Australian operations are to be consolidated into two of those locations, Keith in South Australia’s South East, and Deniliquin in the Riverina region of New South Wales, to improve efficiencies and maximise production capability.

“AlfaGen Seeds will create employment opportunities at our primary facilities in Keith and Deniliquin, as well as provide existing staff with opportunities for career development.”

Avior Capital Partners is based in Perth in Western Australia, and was established in 2021.

Its website states the company offers asset-backed credit facilities to companies “in challenging circumstances, due to growth ambitions or otherwise”.

Avior Capital Partners describes itself as being especially adept at designing loan packages for companies considering entering a formal restructuring process to access private debt as an alternative to borrowing from traditional banks and institutional investors.

Source: AlfaGen Seeds