SECAN

What SECAN does

SeCan is Canada's largest certified seed supplier, operating as a not-for-profit private association founded in 1976 and headquartered in Kanata, Ontario. The organization distributes over 400 pedigreed seed varieties across major Canadian field crops including spring wheat, winter wheat, durum, barley, oats, soybeans, flax, peas, lentils, canola, and forages. SeCan acquires varieties through partnerships with public breeding programs (notably Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial ministries, and universities) and private breeders, then licenses them to a network of more than 600 independent seed producer members who multiply and sell the genetics through local retailers across Western and Eastern Canada.

The business operates on a hybrid revenue model combining recurring membership fees ($500 CAD annually per member) with variety licensing and royalty collection on behalf of breeding partners. SeCan has distributed over $165 million in royalties and research funding to Canadian plant breeding programs since 1976, establishing a self-reinforcing capital loop that funds continued variety development. Its portfolio includes proprietary trait technologies such as midge tolerant wheat varieties (denoted with the VB suffix) and solid stem CWRS wheat for sawfly resistance. The organization explicitly has no foreign shareholders and positions itself as Canada's domestic seed partner, differentiated from multinational competitors.

SeCan serves three primary customer segments: (1) independent seed producer members who multiply and commercialize varieties, (2) seed retailers who carry SeCan varieties in their local distribution networks, and (3) Canadian farmers who ultimately purchase certified seed through those retailers. The company's go-to-market relies on regional marketing representatives across all major growing provinces, annual Western and Eastern Seed Guide publications, an online retailer locator, and a member storytelling content series. The governance structure is a member-elected board of directors chaired by a board president, with day-to-day operations led by a General Manager (Jeff Reid).

Name

SECAN

Legal name

SeCan Association

Website

https://secan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SeCan is Canada's largest certified seed supplier, operating as a not-for-profit association that distributes over 400 pedigreed seed varieties through a network of 600+ independent seed producer members serving Canadian farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seed Distribution

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Seed Distribution & Wholesale (Channel Sales) (AFAGAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certified Seed Production (AFAGAIAC), Seed Production & Multiplication (Contract Growing, Foundation/Certified Seed) (AFABAFAK)

Keywords

• Certified seed distribution
• Agricultural seed varieties
• Seed licensing services
• Crop genetics distribution
• Plant breeding royalties

Headquarters

HQ city

Kanata

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SeCan charges membership fees of $500 CAD plus GST/HST per year for seed producers and businesses involved in Canada's seed industry. Members gain access to the full range of general and exclusive varieties for production and sale, plus commercialization support from SeCan staff.
2. Variety Licensing and Royalties: SeCan licenses varieties from breeding partners and collects royalties/fees on behalf of variety owners. The organization has distributed over $165 million in royalties and research funding since 1976.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SeCan distributes more than 400 certified seed varieties of major Canadian field crops (wheat, barley, oats, durum, soybeans, pulses, flax, canola, forages) through a network of over 600 independent seed producer member companies. The organization licenses varieties developed by public and private breeding partners, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial ministries, universities, and private breeders, and collects royalties on behalf of variety owners, having distributed over $165 million in royalties and research funding since 1976. SeCan charges an annual membership fee of $500 CAD plus GST/HST for seed producers to access its variety portfolio and commercialization support.

Product overview

SeCan is Canada's largest certified seed supplier, operating as a not-for-profit member association that distributes more than 400 varieties of pedigreed seed across major crop categories including spring wheat, durum, winter wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, pulses (peas, lentils), flax, canola, and forages. The organization connects a network of over 600 independent seed producer members with farmers through local seed retailers across Western and Eastern Canada. SeCan's portfolio includes core wheat varieties (CWRS, CPSR, SWS, CWAD types), barley varieties (feed, forage, and malt types), oat varieties (milling and forage), pulse crops, oilseeds, and forage crops. The company publishes regional Seed Guides for Western and Eastern Canada and provides an online Retailer Locator tool. Varieties feature trait technologies including midge tolerance (VB varieties), solid stem for sawfly resistance, and herbicide tolerance traits. SeCan was formed in 1976 and has distributed more than $165 million in royalties and research funding to plant breeding programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Spring Wheat Varieties Certified spring wheat seed varieties including CWRS (Canada Western Red Spring), CPSR, CWSWS, and special purpose types adapted to Canadian growing conditions. Distributed across Western and Eastern Canada through the member retailer network.
• Certified Barley Varieties Two-row and six-row barley varieties for feed, forage, and malt applications including CDC Cowboy, CDC Maverick, CDC Renegade, CDC Churchill, and CDC Austenson, adapted to Canadian growing conditions.
• Certified Oat Varieties White-hulled and hulless oat varieties for milling, forage, and feed applications including AC Morgan, CDC Haymaker, AAC Douglas, and ORe BOOST.
• Certified Durum Varieties Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat varieties including CDC Defy, CDC Glas, CDC Tollefson, CDC Vantta, and CDC Wiseton.
• Certified Soybean Varieties Soybean seed varieties including Roundup Ready 2 Xtend, Enlist E3, and conventional varieties with various maturity ratings and trait packages for Eastern and Western Canada.
• Certified Winter Wheat Varieties
• Certified Pulse Crop Varieties
• Certified Forage Crop Varieties
• Certified Canola Varieties
• Western Seed Guide Annual seed guide publication listing certified varieties available for Western Canada growing conditions, accessible via Flipsnack digital publication.
• Eastern Seed Guide Annual seed guide publication listing certified varieties available for Eastern Canada growing conditions, accessible via Flipsnack digital publication.
• Online Retailer Locator
• AAC Paramount VB Wheat Variety High yielding midge tolerant Soft White Spring wheat variety for Canadian growers; protected under PBR 91.
• AAC Awesome VB Wheat Variety Midge tolerant Special Purpose soft white wheat variety with high yield for ethanol or silage end-uses; protected under PBR 91.
• Alotta Wheat Variety Special purpose wheat variety targeting the feed and ethanol market; positioned for high silage tonnage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $165 million in royalties and research funding distributed to Canadian plant breeding programs since 1976
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1976Primary public breeding partner. Most varieties distributed by SeCan were developed by AAFC breeding programs, including the Swift Current Research and Development Centre. SeCan supports AAFC breeding through royalties and accelerates variety commercialization.
• Provincial Agriculture MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeCan works with provincial agriculture ministries across Canada on variety development and evaluation, ensuring regional adaptation of varieties.
• Canadian UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with universities for plant breeding research and variety development, contributing to the next generation of crop varieties.
• Private Breeding CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeCan also distributes varieties from private and foreign breeding companies alongside Canadian public varieties, expanding the portfolio available to farmers.
• Independent Seed Retailers (600+ members)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 600+ independent seed producer companies across Canada who multiply and sell SeCan varieties. Members receive access to full variety portfolio, commercialization support, and marketing assistance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF Agricultural Solutions:
• Corteva Agriscience: Corteva (parent of Pioneer and Brevant) sells corn, soybean, canola, and wheat seed with proprietary trait packages in Canada, representing a global incumbent competing for the same farmer wallet share that SeCan addresses.
• Syngenta Canada: Syngenta is a global agriscience company offering cereal, corn, soybean, and canola seed in Canada, competing with SeCan across field crops with broader trait stacks and global R&D resources.
• Bayer Crop Science: Bayer Crop Science (including the former Monsanto portfolio) is a global seed and trait powerhouse with extensive Canadian presence in canola, corn, and soybean genetics, competing with SeCan varieties in overlapping crops but at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Canterra Seeds: Canterra Seeds is a Western Canadian seed company that licenses and distributes certified seed varieties through a network of independent retailers, directly mirroring SeCan's core business model across overlapping crop categories.
• Alliance Seed: Alliance Seed is a Canadian seed company distributing cereal, oilseed, and pulse varieties through retail partners across Western Canada, offering overlapping varietal coverage and a similar grower-focused distribution model.
• FP Genetics: FP Genetics is a Prairie-based seed company that distributes pedigreed seed of cereals and pulses through member-shareholders in Western Canada, comparable to SeCan's regional member-driven distribution approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/secan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SeCanCanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/SeCanCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secan-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/secan_seeds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SECAN