Justin Wolfe Joins Ohalo to Drive Commercial Potato Seed Expansion

Wolfe spent the last several years overseeing global seed operations at Syngenta, following a twenty-year tenure at Monsanto. His transition to Ohalo serves as a homecoming of sorts, as he began his career in the potato industry—the very sector he is now tasked with disrupting. Ohalo’s business model centers on replacing traditional vegetative propagation with true potato seeds. CEO David Friedberg argues that the current reliance on tubers is an outdated, century-old practice that leaves farmers burdened by high costs and disease risks.

By transitioning to hybrid seeds, Ohalo claims farmers can reduce production expenses while boosting yields by more than 20%, potentially adding $2,000 in profit per acre. Wolfe will manage the rollout of these potato hybrids while overseeing the expansion of Ohalo’s broader crop pipeline, which already includes active research partnerships in almonds and strawberries. With his experience managing international regulatory, breeding, and commercial R&D functions, Wolfe is expected to bridge the gap between Ohalo’s technical breakthroughs and the practical demands of global farming enterprises.