Certis USA

What Certis USA does

Certis USA L.L.C., operating commercially as Certis Biologicals, is a U.S.-based biotechnology company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. It develops, manufactures, and distributes biological crop protection products, including biofungicides (Howler EVO, Double Nickel LC, Convergence), bionematicides (NemaClean), biological plant activators (LifeGard WG), and biochemical copper-based fungicides (Kocide 3000-O). Core technology is built on proprietary microbial strains (e.g., Purpureocillium lilacinum PL11, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D747, Pseudomonas chlororaphis AFS009, Bacillus mycoides isolate J) that deliver multi-modal action, including competitive exclusion, antibiosis, induced systemic resistance, and plant immune activation. The company operates three dedicated production plants, two fermentation facilities and one plant extraction facility for neem-based products, and holds the broadest OMRI Listed biological product portfolio in the industry.

Name

Certis USA

Legal name

Certis USA L.L.C.

Website

https://certisbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Certis USA (Certis Biologicals) is a Columbia, Maryland-based biotech company that develops and manufactures biological crop protection products, including biofungicides, bionematicides, and plant activators, for conventional and organic growers across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biological Crop Protection / Biopesticides

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (325320), Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

OMRI-Listed Crop Protection (Botanical & Mineral Pesticides) (AFABAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Biological Input Retail (Biostimulants, Biopesticides, OMRI) (AFABAJAK), Biosecurity, Pest & Disease Control for CEA (IPM, Screening, Sanitation) (AFAAAHAK)

Keywords

• Biological crop protection
• Biopesticide manufacturing
• Agricultural biocontrol products
• Biofungicide solutions
• Bionematicide products

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biological Crop Protection Products: Certis Biologicals generates revenue through the sale of biological pesticides including biofungicides, bioinsecticides, bionematicides, bioherbicides, and plant health-promoting products to agricultural growers, greenhouse operators, and home/garden markets.
2. International Product Distribution: Revenue generated through partnerships like Certis-Belchim for European market registrations and Certis Agro Mexico for regional distribution in Mexico, expanding product availability across more than 50 countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Certis USA develops, manufactures, and distributes biological crop protection products including biofungicides, bioinsecticides, bionematicides, bioherbicides, and biochemical copper-based products for agricultural, turf, greenhouse, home, and garden markets. The company leverages proprietary microorganisms, plant extracts, and naturally-derived active ingredients formulated into OMRI listed and residue-exempt products. Products are produced at three dedicated manufacturing facilities (two fermentation plants and one neem plant extraction facility) and sold to growers in over 50 countries.

Product overview

Certis Biologicals offers a broad portfolio of biological crop protection solutions for organic and conventional production. The product lineup includes biofungicides (Howler EVO, Double Nickel LC, Convergence), biological plant activators (LifeGard WG), bionematicides (NemaClean), and biochemical copper-based products (Kocide 3000-O). The company owns and operates three dedicated production plants—two for fermentation and one for plant extraction of neem-based products. Products serve agriculture, turf, greenhouse, home and garden markets globally, with formulations targeting various pests, diseases, and crops. Most products are OMRI Listed and Residue Exempt, supporting both organic and integrated pest management programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NemaClean A high-performing bionematicide that targets plant-parasitic nematodes at all life stages. Formulated with Purpureocillium lilacinum strain PL11 as a wettable powder for soil application, used by specialty crop growers managing nematode pressure in citrus, grapes, tree nuts, fruits, vegetables, and berries.
• LifeGard WG A biological plant activator that manages foliar diseases in fruit and vegetable cropping systems by triggering the plant's natural defenses through induced resistance. Contains Bacillus mycoides isolate J (BmJ) and provides protection against Fire Blight, Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, Cercospora, and Potato Virus Y.
• Kocide 3000-O A technologically advanced copper fungicide/bactericide utilizing BioActive technology to deliver maximum concentration of biologically active copper ions while preserving plant safety. Contains Copper Hydroxide 46.1% and enables more disease control per pound of copper with lower metallic copper use rates.
• Howler EVO A biofungicide that harnesses the plant microbiome with multiple modes of action providing preventive, long-lasting activity on broad-spectrum soilborne and foliar diseases. Contains Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain AFS009 and uses four modes of action: antifungal compounds, enzymes, siderophores, and systemic acquired resistance.
• Double Nickel LC A broad-spectrum preventive biofungicide for control or suppression of fungal and bacterial plant diseases. Contains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747, offering five modes of action including competitive exclusion, antibiosis, induced systemic resistance, systemic acquired resistance, and growth promotion. Proven efficacy against more than 90 diseases in over 74 crops across 700+ lab and field trials.
• Convergence A biofungicide/bactericide that kills harmful fungal and bacterial diseases by colonizing the rhizosphere, forming a protective barrier that outcompetes and displaces pathogens.

Quantifiable outcome

• NemaClean demonstrated decreased nematode populations and improved crop yield in sweet potato field trials
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Certis Agro MexicocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 June 2025Certis Agro Mexico is a dedicated platform designed to serve Mexico's agriculture industry with localized information, product access, and grower support. The new website at certisagro.com.mx provides in-depth information on biofungicides, biopesticides, and bionematicides available in the Mexican market.
• Certis-BelchimcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2025Certis-Belchim, a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., created in 2022 through the merger of Certis Europe and Belchim Crop Protection, serves as the strategic partnership for European market development. Certis-Belchim facilitated the first EU authorization of NemaClean in the Netherlands, with regulatory assessments ongoing in Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, and Denmark.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Crop Science: Bayer is a global agrochemical incumbent with an expanding biologicals portfolio (including through Biagro and recent acquisitions) that competes with Certis across the same row and specialty crop customers but at far greater scale and with bundled synthetic-biological offerings.
• Syngenta Biologicals: Syngenta operates a global crop protection portfolio with a growing biologicals segment (including products from the former Abbott bioreach and recent acquisitions), competing with Certis on biopesticides and biocontrol across all major geographies.
• BASF Agricultural Solutions: BASF is a global agrochemical leader with biological crop protection products and partnerships (including with Novozymes), competing with Certis in biofungicides and bioinsecticides for row and specialty crops while leveraging far larger R&D and distribution capabilities.

Emerging players

• AgBiome: AgBiome is a U.S.-based biologicals startup developing microbial crop protection products from its proprietary GENESIS discovery platform, with products like Howler and Theia directly competing in Certis's biofungicide category across specialty and row crops.
• Vestaron: Vestaron develops peptide-based biopesticides for specialty and row crops, representing a next-generation biologicals platform that competes with Certis's microbial products on novel modes of action and resistance management value propositions.

Direct peers

• BioWorks: BioWorks is a North American biological crop protection company offering biofungicides, bioinsecticides, and biostimulants targeted at greenhouse, nursery, and specialty crop growers, competing with Certis in the same OMRI-listed segments and overlapping customer base.
• Koppert Biological Systems: Koppert Biological Systems is a global leader in biological crop protection and pollination, offering biopesticides, beneficial insects, and microbial products that directly overlap with Certis's biofungicide and bioinsecticide lines across greenhouse and open-field horticulture worldwide.
• Marrone Bio Innovations: Marrone Bio Innovations is the most direct U.S. biopesticides competitor, explicitly identified alongside Certis as the top two players in the U.S. market, offering biofungicides, bioinsecticides, and bionematicides to specialty crop growers with comparable OMRI-listed product strategies.
• Valent BioSciences: Valent BioSciences is a major biorational crop protection company developing microbial and biochemical products for agriculture, public health, and forestry; it competes directly with Certis in biofungicides, bioinsecticides, and plant growth regulators and serves similar global row and specialty crop markets.

Regional players

• Bioceres Crop Solutions: Bioceres is a Latin American agricultural biologics and seed company focused on biological crop protection and stress-tolerance technologies, comparable to Certis in biological product development but primarily serving South American row crop markets where Certis is less established.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/certisusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/certisusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certis-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Certis USA