Northrup-King

Northrup-King Seed Company was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1896, and was based there until it was acquired and moved to Golden Valley, Minnesota in 1986. It is now a division of Syngenta.

Company history

Northrup, King and Co. was founded in 1884 as Northrup, Braslan and Company. Its founders, Jesse E. Northrup and Charles E. Braslan, moved to Minneapolis from the Eastern United States. They chose Minneapolis because they believed seeds grown in the North were resilient and productive, and because they viewed Minneapolis as an ideal distribution center. They published their first illustrated seed catalog in 1885. It used striking full-color lithographs that made a strong impression.

During the 1880s, Northrup and Braslan expanded their business but soon experienced trouble. In 1887, Northrup and Braslan invited A.H. Goodwin to partner with them. The men renamed the business Northrup, Braslan and Goodwin Company and expanded its reach; but, after the economic Panic of 1893 and a fire in the company building, the business could not pay back its debts.