The Team

Christian Ibarra, PhD - General Manager

Omer Ayfer - President

Omer has a deep appreciation for great food and he is deeply passionate about Bene Seeds' mission to breed exceptional tomatoes. Although a reasonably competent cook, Omer's professional background is in the technology sector, with over 20 years of experience leading IT and cybersecurity functions at various biotechnology companies.  Passionate about tomatoes and education, he has taught courses for many years at local community colleges and the Haas School of Business. Omer spent his childhood on farms in the Dardanelles region in Turkey.

Oliver Ratcliffe, PhD, MBA – Chairman, Treasurer & Chief Scientific Officer

Oliver's lifelong passion is great food and produce and he currently oversees our tomato breeding strategy at Bene Seeds.  He has more than 25 years' experience in the agritech and biotechnology sectors, including executive roles at both large and small companies.  He is a co-founder of multiple start-ups in the life sciences space.  Oliver holds a PhD in molecular biology and genetics from the John Innes Centre (a world leading crop research institute) and he did an executive MBA mid-career at Cambridge University's, Judge Business School.  He grew up on a family farm in the United Kingdom.

Sabina Khan-Ibarra - Head of Marketing

Sabina specializes in digital marketing and program leadership, with a focus on brand growth and community engagement. A writer and teacher, she has directed writing programs and served as a Communications Director. She has a strong background in communications and content creation. Sabina grew up in Northern California, where her family owned an almond ranch, and she now continues the tradition, raising her family on a ranch of their own.

Advisors and Collaborators

We are proud to engage an eclectic group of advisors and collaborators.  These include people from a diversity of backgrounds, including industry experts, master gardeners, amateur breeders, chefs, and university professors.

Kanti Rawal, PhD  (Scientist and Entrepreneur)

Mike Pereira  (Seed Industry Executive)

Mike is a seasoned seed business executive who has a deep knowledge of the industry dating back more than 40 years. He has a formal training in plant breeding and genetics and has worked in a range of seed companies, both large and small. He is currently engaged with Finistere Ventures; a leading venture capital fund in the agritech space. Mike works closely with the Bene Seeds Leadership team to develop and execute its business growth plan.

Hans Fama  (Plant Breeder, Food Aficionado, and Chef)

Hans is a vegetable and fruit breeder, who has a deep passion in Italian-inspired tomato varieties. He is a third generation chef based in Southern California. After more than a decade working in restaurants in Los Angeles and the Bay Area and culinary studies throughout Italy and Spain, Hans shifted his focus to growing and breeding high quality vegetables. His experience in nearly every facet of food production uniquely informs his breeding work to benefit the grower, the chef, and the consumer. He is passionate about tradition and innovation. His breeding approach combines the best traits of beloved antique varieties with modern plant vigor, yield and adaptability required to perform in our changing climate.

Karen Olivier  (Plant Breeder and Master Gardener)

Karen is master gardener and keen crop breeder. She is a registered nurse by training and her passion from science and biology led her to develop a deep interest in genetics and breeding. Karen has bred some exceptional tomato varieties over the years and prioritizes flavor and hardiness in her breeding program. We are honored and extremely privileged to offer a number of Karen’s varieties through our Bene Seeds catalog. Karen has an extensive online following and posts frequently at https://www.instagram.com/northerngardenercanada/

Detlef Weigel, PhD (Institute Director)

Detlef has been a keen supporter of Bene Seeds since its inception and serves as a scientific advisor to the company, providing input on the genetic approaches to our breeding strategy. He is a German-American scientist, who is currently a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen. Detlef is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the
Royal Society, and a recipient of several scientific awards, most recently the Novozymes Prize of the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Stephen Hales Prize of the American Association of Plant Biologists. He is among the ten most highly cited plant scientists in the world. Detlef has an extensive record of service to the scientific community, having served on a series of editorial and advisory boards. He is a co-founder of three biotech startups.

Jonathan Jones, PhD (University Professor)

Jonathan is a Professor at The Sainsbury Laboratory in the UK. He is a world-renowned expert in plantgenetics and worked in industry early in his career, prior to being appointed to his current position. Jonathan has extensive experience in the crop biotechnology sector and is a keen advocate of the application of modern techniques to improve crop yield and quality. Jonathan’s research interests focus on the genetic regulation of plant responses to pathogens and the development of crops that are resistant to disease. Jonathan was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2003 and has been an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences since 2015.

Jennifer Santanton (Chef)

Jennifer is a trained chef and all-round culinary enthusiast who creates delicious dishes based on produce from the Bene Seeds collection. Jen has a deep passion for natural nutritious ingredients with deep flavors and is developing a range of sauces and condiments based on our tomato and pepper varieties. Jen is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Academy of California and runs her own personalized meal preparation business, Mora Sol Meals: https://www.morasolmeals.com/

Our Founding Tomato Breeder

Fred Hempel, PhD

More than twenty years ago, Fred Hempel, a PhD plant biologist and food enthusiast, quit his comfortable corporate job and made it his life's goal to create new delicious nutritious tomato varieties. With financing from a small group of friends and fellow enthusiasts, Fred assembled many of the old forgotten heirlooms and began the painstaking task of intercrossing those varieties and selecting the best off-spring. After many generations, and trials with collaborators around the world, Fred established a pool of high-quality new breeding material. This material was then further intercrossed to produce our elite F1 hybrids that have been extensively tested and validated by chefs, gardeners, and high-end grocery stores.

Tragically and unexpectedly, Fred passed away after a short illness in 2023. He is deeply missed - we have lost a very dear friend and irreplaceable colleague. However, we remain more determined than ever to make good on Fred's life's goal and honor his legacy. With the continued support of his family, we are continuing to develop exceptional tomatoes by breeding with outstanding germplasm that Fred created.