Takii Seed is the oldest family run seed company in the world. When it originated with a small, family-owned seed store in Kyoto, Japan in 1835, the country was in the middle of Japan's last great famine. Nearly two centuries later Denichi Takii, the current president, is the fifth generation of Takiis to direct the company, which has grown mightily over the years. In the 1980s and 90s the company established subsidiaries in the United States and Europe, followed by joint ventures in Hong Kong and Brazil. Local subsidiaries in Korea, Chile, India, Spain, Vietnam, Turkey, Hungary, and Mexico followed. All in all, Takii has bases in more than 15 countries and offers more than 5500 seed varieties. In 2007, with the acquisition of Sahin, a Dutch flower seed company, Takii expanded its offerings for the home gardener. Their renowned breeding work has earned the company more than two dozen All-America Selecions and Fleuroselect awards. 

Allison Zeeb has been working as Takii Europe's Account and Product Manager since early 2022. Based in Chicago, Allison's roots in horticulture run deep, beginning with a summer internship at Ball Horticultural Gardens, a job as assistant curator at the Illinois State University herbarium, and a stint at a hydroponic farm. After graduating from Illinois State with a degree in Horticulture and Landscape Management, she became a Grounds Technician at Ball Horticultural, then worked with Cut Flower Development and Promotions at American Taki for two years. Two plus years with Ball as Potted Plant and Cut Flower Business Manager followed before she landed at Takii Europe.

One of Takii Seeds' major sellers, Allison reports, is the sunflower. Native to North America, sunflowers were not a traditional source of oil in Japan. Since the 1990s Takii has been in the forefront of breeding sunflowers for the cut flower market, focusing on mildew resistance and pollen-free lines. Sunrich, their biggest seller, is known for being not just resistant but pollenless, long lasting, and upright facing—all qualities cut flower growers prize. Another of Takii's best known products is the Trailblazer onion, a long-day storage onion. It’s one of a full range of onion varieties Takii offers for various growing conditions.    

"The global nature of horticulture impresses me," says Allison. She offers an example of how the cut flower industry works. South American cut flower growers ship their flowers to the Netherlands, which dominates the trade. RoyalFlora Holland, the world's largest flower auction, then re-exports the flowers, with the biggest destinations being the EU and the US. Forty percent of the flowers from all over the world go through this auction house!