Johnny's Selected Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds is a 1973-founded, Maine-based private seed company selling proprietary and third-party vegetable, flower, herb, fruit, and cover crop seeds, plus growing tools, to U.S. commercial market farmers (primary) and home gardeners through direct e-commerce and wholesale channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersWaterville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Johnny's Selected Seeds does
Johnny's Selected Seeds is a privately held, vertically oriented seed and gardening supplies company founded in 1973 and headquartered in Albion, Maine. It sells a comprehensive catalog of vegetable, flower, herb, fruit, and cover crop seeds, along with professional growing tools and supplies, primarily to U.S.-based commercial market farmers and home gardeners. The company is known for proprietary, internally bred varieties marketed under the "Developed by Johnny's" banner (including Kalettes, a kale-brussels sprout cross, Salanova one-cut lettuce, and Prospera basil), USDA Certified Organic seed lines across most categories, and a specialization in cold-climate and four-season growing varieties tested and bred at its northern Maine research farm.
The company generates revenue through direct-to-consumer e-commerce (johnnyseeds.com), phone-based ordering, and a wholesale/B2B commercial program staffed by territory sales representatives. Pricing is tiered by quantity, with packets (~$3.40–$6.80) for hobbyists and bulk sizes up to 25 lb (~$944+) for commercial operations, complemented by free standard shipping over $200. Revenue streams are one-time, transaction-based sales of seed, plant stock, and physical tools/supplies, with no subscription or recurring model in evidence. Supporting the core commerce operation is an extensive educational content platform (the Grower's Library) including growing guides, variety comparison charts, seed calculators, videos, and webinars, which functions as both a marketing asset and a value-add for commercial growers.
Customer segments include professional market farmers (primary), home gardeners, flower farmers, and four-season growers, with internal R&D, proprietary breeding, and a vertically integrated catalog serving as the company's primary differentiators. The company operates only in the United States, has 101–250 employees, and has been expanding its catalog continuously (e.g., "New for 2026" product sections), supported by a small grant from the Maine Technology Institute in 2020.
Johnny's Selected Seeds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Legal name
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Website
- https://johnnyseeds.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Johnny's Selected Seeds is a 1973-founded, Maine-based private seed company selling proprietary and third-party vegetable, flower, herb, fruit, and cover crop seeds, plus growing tools, to U.S. commercial market farmers (primary) and home gardeners through direct e-commerce and wholesale channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Johnny's Selected Seeds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Garden Seeds & Growing Supplies
- NAICS
- Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF), Seed Distribution & Wholesale (Channel Sales) (AFAGAIAM)
Keywords
Where Johnny's Selected Seeds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Johnny's Selected Seeds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Seed Sales: Core revenue from selling vegetable, flower, herb, and fruit seeds through direct e-commerce. Includes both packet sales and bulk commercial quantities. Revenue is transaction-based with one-time purchases.
- Tools & Supplies: Sale of gardening tools, equipment, and supplies including hand tools, seeders, greenhouse supplies, harvest tools, and growing media.
- Wholesale/B2B Commercial Sales: Commercial sales to professional growers, market farmers, and agricultural operations through territory sales representatives and wholesale program.
- Fruit Plants & Bulbs: Sale of plant stock including asparagus crowns, rhubarb crowns, strawberry bare-root plants, and flower bulbs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Packet (100-1,000 seeds) - Entry tier for home gardeners |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Small Bulk (1oz - 1/4lb) - For small-scale growers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Medium Bulk (1lb - 5lb) - Commercial/professional tier |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Large Bulk (25lb+) - Large-scale commercial operations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Johnny's Selected Seeds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Johnny's Selected Seeds breeds, produces, and sells vegetable, flower, herb, and fruit seeds along with cover crops and professional growing tools and supplies. The company serves both home gardeners and commercial market farmers through direct e-commerce (johnnyseeds.com), phone orders, wholesale, and a field sales team, with proprietary varieties developed under the "Developed by Johnny's" program.
Product overview
Johnny's Selected Seeds is a seed company offering a comprehensive catalog of vegetable, flower, and herb seeds along with fruit plants, cover crops, and professional growing tools and supplies. The core offerings include vegetable seeds across 50+ categories (tomatoes, lettuce, kale, peppers, carrots, etc.), flower seeds including cut flowers and ornamental varieties, herb seeds, and fruit plants. The company also provides organic-certified seed lines, proprietary varieties like Kalettes and Salanova Lettuce, and a modular tool system (Connecta). Supporting services include the Grower's Library with educational resources, calculators, and technical guides for commercial growers. The product portfolio is organized as seeds/products plus educational services, with tools & supplies forming a distinct category for professional farming operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vegetable Seeds
Quantifiable outcome
- Varieties tested for disease resistance including black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) and black leg (Phoma lingam) - seed lots only sold if testing negative
Companies that use Johnny's Selected Seeds
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Johnny's Selected Seeds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Johnny's Selected Seeds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Johnny's Selected Seeds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: Missouri-based DTC heirloom and open-pollinated seed catalog serving home gardeners and small farmers. Closely comparable to Johnny's in catalog breadth, e-commerce model, and target customer overlap.
- Territorial Seed Company: Oregon-based vegetable, flower, and herb seed company with parallel DTC + commercial/wholesale model. Directly comparable in customer segments (home gardeners and market farmers) and four-season/cold-climate positioning.
- High Mowing Organic Seeds: Vermont-based 100% organic seed company with DTC and wholesale channels serving commercial growers. Closely comparable in organic certification depth, cold-climate specialization, and grower-support content resources.
- Seed Savers Exchange: Iowa-based heirloom seed catalog and seed exchange serving home gardeners and small growers. Comparable in catalog breadth across vegetables, flowers, and herbs, and similar educational mission.
- Hudson Valley Seed: New York-based regional seed company with proprietary art-pack varieties and a focus on Northeast growers. Comparable DTC model, regional specialization, and proprietary variety strategy.
- Botanical Interests: Colorado-based DTC seed packet brand sold through garden centers and online. Comparable packet-form factor, home-gardener focus, and branded variety storytelling.
- Harris Seeds: New York-based commercial and home gardener seed supplier with parallel B2B and DTC operations. Comparable in serving both professional growers and home gardeners across vegetables and flowers.
- True Leaf Market: Utah-based online seed and growing-supplies retailer with broad vegetable, herb, flower, and microgreen catalog. Comparable e-commerce-led model and hobbyist/professional overlap.
Broad incumbents
- Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee & Co.): Largest US home-garden seed brand with a much broader catalog and broader retail distribution. Overlaps heavily with Johnny's home-gardener segment but lacks Johnny's commercial-grower specialization.
- Johnny's Selected Seeds (international comparables: Suttons, Thompson & Morgan): UK-based large-scale DTC seed and plant retailer with multi-country European distribution. Comparable in catalog breadth and DTC model, and illustrative of the international scale Johnny's has not pursued.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Johnny's Selected Seeds social profiles
Digital presenceJohnny's Selected Seeds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Johnny's Selected Seeds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Johnny's Selected Seeds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Johnny's Selected Seeds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Johnny's Selected Seeds
What does Johnny's Selected Seeds do?
Johnny's Selected Seeds breeds, produces, and sells vegetable, flower, herb, and fruit seeds along with cover crops and professional growing tools and supplies. The company serves both home gardeners and commercial market farmers through direct e-commerce (johnnyseeds.com), phone orders, wholesale, and a field sales team, with proprietary varieties developed under the "Developed by Johnny's" program.
Is Johnny's Selected Seeds a public or private company?
Johnny's Selected Seeds is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Johnny's Selected Seeds founded?
Johnny's Selected Seeds was founded in 1973. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Johnny's Selected Seeds based?
Johnny's Selected Seeds is headquartered in Waterville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Johnny's Selected Seeds make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Seed Sales are the primary driver. The others are tools & Supplies, wholesale/B2B Commercial Sales and fruit Plants & Bulbs.
Who are Johnny's Selected Seeds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, High Mowing Organic Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, Hudson Valley Seed, Botanical Interests, Harris Seeds and True Leaf Market. Broad incumbents are Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee & Co.) and Johnny's Selected Seeds (international comparables: Suttons, Thompson & Morgan).
Does Johnny's Selected Seeds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Johnny's Selected Seeds.
What industry is Johnny's Selected Seeds in?
Johnny's Selected Seeds's product category is Garden Seeds & Growing Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAIAB, Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAF, Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional). Its NAICS code is 44424 and its SIC code is 100.