Landec Sells Seed Coating Business and Partners With INCOTEC to Gain Global Access for Landec Agriculture Seed Coating Technology
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 26, 2012--
Landec Corporation (Nasdaq:LNDC), a company that develops and markets
patented products for food, agricultural and biomedical applications,
announced today that it has entered into three agreements with INCOTEC
®
Coating and Seed Technology Companies, a leading provider of seed and
coating technology products and services to the seed industry. The
partnership provides
Landec access to growing global markets for its
polymer technology and enables
Landec to exit the day-to-day operations
of its agricultural seed coating business. These agreements enable
Landec to focus on developing new polymer formulations for an
agricultural market increasingly dependent on seed coating technology
and to leverage INCOTEC’s global presence in the seed treatment markets.
In the first agreement, Landec sold its seed subsidiary, Landec Ag LLC,
to INCOTEC Holding North America, Inc. Landec Ag was sold to INCOTEC for
$600,000, which will result in a gain of approximately $400,000.
In the second agreement, Landec entered into a seven-year exclusive
technology license and polymer supply agreement with INCOTEC Field Crops
North America LLC for the use of Landec’s Intellicoat® polymer
seed coating technology for male inbred corn which is sold under the
Pollinator Plus® label. This license does not include the use
of Intellicoat for the controlled release of an active ingredient for
agricultural applications which will be retained by Landec. Landec will
be the exclusive supplier of Pollinator Plus polymer to INCOTEC during
the term of the license agreement and Landec will receive a royalty
equal to 20% of the revenues realized by INCOTEC from the sale of or
sublicense of Pollinator Plus coatings during the first four years of
the agreement and 10% for the last three years of the agreement.
In the third agreement, Landec entered into a five-year exclusive
technology license and polymer supply agreement with INCOTEC HOLDINGS
B.V. for the joint development of new polymer and unique coatings for
use in seed treatment formulations. In this agreement Landec will
receive a value share which will be mutually agreed to by both parties
prior to each application being developed.
Gary Steele, Landec’s Chairman and CEO, stated, “These agreements with
INCOTEC allow Landec to focus on its two core businesses, food products
and biomedical materials, while capitalizing on our Intelimer®
polymer technology for agricultural applications by leveraging INCOTEC’s
existing global distribution channels. Landec will retain all rights to
its controlled release technology for agriculture. INCOTEC has worldwide
operations and is rapidly growing its North American operations for
supplying seed treatment formulations to major seed companies. Landec
Ag’s facility and operations in Oxford, Indiana will now be operated by
INCOTEC and Landec will provide polymer supply and R&D support from our
Menlo Park, California location. We are very pleased to be working with
INCOTEC, a market leader in seed coating formulations.”
About INCOTEC
INCOTEC was founded in 1968 and has been an independent company since
2002. INCOTEC®'s Coating and Seed Technology Companies around
the world provide products and services for seed coating, pelleting,
seed enhancement and analytical services for genetic analysis and
quality inspection. INCOTEC Group contributes significantly to the
development of sustainable agriculture worldwide by providing key
solutions in the four business areas, vegetables, field crops,
ornamentals and analytical services. INCOTEC’s headquarters are in the
Netherlands and there are INCOTEC facilities in the USA, the
Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, Japan, India,
Australia, China and South Africa. For more information see www.incotec.com
About Landec Corporation
Landec Corporation is a materials science company that leverages its
proprietary polymer technologies, application development and innovation
capabilities to develop and commercialize new products in food,
agricultural and biomedical markets. Landec has two proprietary polymer
technology platforms: Intelimer Polymers® and Sodium
Hyaluronate (“NaHy”) that are the foundation for its business. Landec’s
subsidiary, Apio, has become the leader in US fresh-cut specialty
packaged vegetables by combining Landec’s proprietary food packaging
technology, the strength of two major national brands Eat Smart®
and GreenLine®, with the capabilities of a large national
food supplier, processor and distributor. Through its subsidiary, Lifecore
Biomedical, Landec is now a premium supplier of hyaluronan-based
materials and medical products to ophthalmic, orthopedic and veterinary
markets worldwide. Landec’s Licensing Partnerships work closely
with market-leading companies to develop and commercialize
differentiated polymer-based products. For more information about the
Company, visit Landec’s website at www.landec.com.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that
involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially, including such factors among others, as the timing
and expenses associated with operations, the ability to achieve
acceptance of the Company's new products in the market place, the
severity of the current economic slowdown, the ability to integrate
GreenLine’s operations into the Company, weather conditions that can
affect the supply and price of produce, the amount and timing of
research and development funding and license fees from the Company's
collaborative partners, the timing of regulatory approvals, the mix
between domestic and international sales, and the risk factors listed in
the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 29, 2011 (See item
1A: Risk Factors) which may be updated in Part II. Item 1A Risk Factors
in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. As a result of these
and other factors, the Company expects to continue to experience
significant fluctuations in quarterly operating results and there can be
no assurance that the Company will remain consistently profitable. The
Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements whether as a result of new developments or otherwise.

Source: Landec Corporation
Landec Corporation
Gregory S. Skinner, 650-261-3677
Vice
President Finance and CFO