What is the Variety Showcase?
Discover the Power of Organic Seed at Variety Showcase Events
Variety Showcase events are dedicated to illuminating the significance of organic seed, emphasizing inclusivity in the plant breeding process for all members of the food system. These gatherings serve as catalysts for community building and collaboration, fostering connections that inspire innovation.
At Variety Showcase events, chefs collaborate with plant breeders to craft unique dishes featuring specific cultivars or breeding lines, showcasing the diversity and potential of organic seed. The seed work showcased at these events addresses a wide range of critical issues and values, including climate resilience, culinary excellence, nutritional richness, biodiversity preservation, cultural heritage, spiritual significance, seed sovereignty, and more.
Attendees are treated to the exclusive opportunity to sample new and in-development vegetable, fruit, and grain cultivars, engaging in lively conversation, sharing opinions, and bridging the gap between eaters and breeders. Variety Showcase events aim to evoke feelings of joy, discovery, and connection among all participants, uniting them in a shared passion for sustainable agriculture and delicious food.
Join us at upcoming Variety Showcase events for an unforgettable experience of exploration, education, and celebration, where every bite tells a story of innovation and collaboration.
2023 Variety Showcase
Click here to read more about the 2023 participating breeders, researchers & farmers.
“The Variety Showcase has become very important to my vegetable breeding program. An exceptional creativity and a vibrant, evolving cuisine can result when melding breeders and chefs; this event is a unique catalyst for this process.”
-Jim Myers, Professor, Oregon State University, (Corvallis, OR)
“As the result of the last few Variety Showcase events, our pepper cultivars have been adopted by local growers and become standard organic varieties in seed catalogs across the US. Publicity from the Showcase has increased our pepper seed sales more than 500%.”
-Frank Morton, Owner, Wild Garden Seeds (Philomath, OR)
“The Variety Showcase event creates opportunities for farmers, restaurateurs, and eaters. The excitement around plant breeding because of this event is at a level I have never seen. It is really enlightening the greater public, a group most plant breeders have little success reaching.”
-William F. Tracy, Clif Bar/Organic Valley Chair in Plant Breeding for Organic Agriculture, Professor and Former Department of Agronomy Chair, University of Wisconsin-Madison
