公司概况
南方展览种子交换（Southern Exposure Seed Exchange，简称 SESE）是一家位于美国弗吉尼亚州中部 Mineral 镇的工人合作社制种子公司，1983 年由 Jeff McCormack 创立，办公地址位于弗吉尼亚州 Mineral 镇，联系电话（540）894-9480，邮箱 gardens@southernexposure.com。公司坐落于弗吉尼亚州 Richmond 与 Charlottesville 之间、Thomas Jefferson 故居 Monticello 不远的 72 英亩农场上，地处 Monacan 民族传统领地，土地以连绵起伏的丘陵为特色，养有山羊、鸡群、干草场、香草园及用于留种、试验和自用的菜园。公司由员工共同经营，秉承”每个工作者在决策中拥有同等发言权并按相同报酬获得补偿”的合作经济原则，是美国东南部最具代表性的传家宝种子合作社之一。
产品与服务
公司主营约 850 个传家宝（heirloom）、开放授粉（open-pollinated）蔬菜、花卉、香草、谷物与覆盖作物种子品种，截至 2025 年其中 60% 以上获得 Certified Organic 认证，60% 以上直接来自公司熟知并签约合作的中小型家庭农场。除常规品类外，公司专长于美国南方特有传家宝品种，包括花生（Peanuts）、南方豇豆（Southern Peas/Cowpeas）、天然彩色棉花（Naturally Colored Cotton）、羽衣甘蓝（Collards）、秋葵（Okra）、玫瑰茄（Roselle）、萝卜叶（Turnip Greens）、爆米花玉米与粉用玉米（Popcorn/Cornmeal）以及黄油豆（Lima Beans/Butterbeans）等。零售以单包装与组合包装形式销售，订单可通过在线 Quick Order 系统完成，并提供纸质目录（Request a Catalog）订阅服务，所有销售种子均不进行化学药剂包衣处理。
技术与研发
公司所有种子均储存在空调、冷藏或冷冻环境中以延长寿命，种子干燥与储存区配备除湿设备以保持稳定湿度。每批种子在包装前均进行发芽率测试，测试标准结合联邦法规与公司自定要求——对部分品种公司标准严于联邦——并将测试结果直接印在包装上供种植者参考密度与数量。公司另设有多套种植指南系统：通用种植指南、夏季高温种植指南、夏秋连续收获指南、秋冬种植指南、蔬菜专类指南、花卉与香草指南、种子保存指南等共七大类数十篇文档，其中《大蒜与多年生洋葱种植指南》由创始人 Jeff McCormack 撰写并经 Ira Wallace、Ken Bezilla 与 Lisa Dermer 修订。
家族传承与社会责任
公司长期与非转基因运动（Non-GMO Movement）保持紧密联系，曾与其他种子公司及农户共同参与对孟山都（Monsanto）的法律诉讼，并将每年约 6% 的销售额捐赠至本地有机农业研究与可持续农业项目。合作社每年在 Mineral 农场举办至少一次开放日（Open House）接待访客，并通过零售店合作网络（Retail Stores）让消费者可在东南部多家独立园艺门店实际选购。公司自创立以来一直以”鼓励农业中的合作式自给自足，推广生态农业、本地化品种与区域性粮食生产”为使命，2023 年再次完成有机认证续期，并将认证证书与产品验证表以 PDF 形式在官网公开。
Company Overview
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (SESE) is a worker-run cooperative seed company based in Mineral, Virginia, USA, founded in 1983 by Jeff McCormack. The company is reached by phone at (540) 894-9480 and by email at gardens@southernexposure.com, with its mailing address in Mineral, Virginia. The 72-acre farm sits on Monacan homeland in the rolling hills of central Virginia, between Richmond and Charlottesville and not far from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, with goats, chickens, hayfields, an herb garden, and extensive vegetable gardens for seed production, trialing, and eating. Every worker has an equal voice in company decisions and receives equal compensation, making SESE one of the most representative heirloom seed cooperatives in the southeastern United States.
Products and Services
The company offers about 850 heirloom and open-pollinated varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain, and cover crop seeds. As of 2025, over 60% of these varieties are Certified Organic, and over 60% are grown by small farmers the company knows and contracts with directly. SESE specializes in Southern heirlooms including Peanuts, Southern Peas (Cowpeas), Naturally Colored Cotton, Collards, Okra, Roselle, Turnip Greens, Popcorn and Cornmeal corns, and Lima Beans (Butterbeans). Seeds are sold in single packets and collections through the online Quick Order system, with a print catalog available on request, and no seeds are chemically treated.
Research and Technology
All seeds are stored in air-conditioned, refrigerated, or frozen environments, with dehumidifiers in curing and storage areas to extend viability. Each lot is germination-tested against both federal standards and SESE’s own stricter requirements for selected varieties, and test results are printed on the packet. The company publishes an extensive Growing Guides library covering general sowing, hot-summer cropping, summer succession, fall and winter growing, vegetable-family specifics, flowers and herbs, and seed saving. The Garlic and Perennial Onion Growing Guide was originally written by founder Jeff McCormack and updated by Ira Wallace, Ken Bezilla, and Lisa Dermer.
Heritage and Community
SESE has long been active in the Non-GMO movement and joined other seed companies and farmers in suing Monsanto. The cooperative donates roughly 6% of annual sales to local organic agriculture research and sustainable farming initiatives, and hosts at least one Open House each year at the Mineral farm. A network of Retail Stores across the Southeast carries SESE seeds in person, complementing online sales. The 2023 organic certification renewal documents are published as PDFs on the official website, reflecting the company’s continuing mission of encouraging cooperative self-reliance in agriculture, ecological farming, and regionally adapted food production.
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