Horta
Horta is an Italian agtech company developing crop-specific Decision Support System (DSS) platforms for precision and sustainable agriculture, serving farmers, agronomic technicians, producer cooperatives, and major agri-food brands including Barilla, Mutti, and Peroni, with technology now embedded in BASF's xarvio platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersPiacenza, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Horta does
Horta Srl is an Italian agtech company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Piacenza that develops specialized Decision Support System (DSS) platforms for precision and sustainable agriculture. Its core offering consists of crop-specific web-based DSS modules — vite.net (grapes), granoduro.net (durum wheat), pomodoro.net (tomato), patata.net (potato), olivo.net (olive), girasole.net (sunflower), cipolla.net (onion), mais.net (maize), orzo.net (barley), and legumi.net/soia.net (legumes/soy) — that integrate real-time data from one of the world's largest agro-meteorological station networks with proprietary crop growth models, pest forecasting algorithms, and agronomic databases to deliver decision recommendations for fertilization, irrigation, pest management, and harvest timing. The platform stack also includes YouSustain.net, a CCPB-certified (DTS_01) sustainability assessment tool covering LCA, PEF, carbon footprint, and water footprint for 30+ crops, plus the FiDia.net digital bulletin for integrated plant protection and a Carbon Farming MRV platform validated for Mediterranean regions.
Horta operates a subscription-based B2B model with quote-based pricing, distributing through its cloud platform (cloud.horta-srl.it), dedicated mobile applications (Android/iOS/PWA), and channel partnerships with major Italian agri-food processors — Barilla, Mutti, Tampieri, Peroni/Heineken, Unaprol, Andriani, Pastificio Mancini — that promote the DSS to contracted supply-chain farmers. Customers span individual farmers, agronomic technicians, producer cooperatives, agri-food companies, and agricultural input producers (seeds, fertilizers, crop protection), with deep R&D collaboration alongside Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, CREA, CNR, and over 20 EU and national research projects (Horizon Europe, LIFE, PRIMA, EIP-AGRI, Agritech National Center). Following BASF Digital Farming's 2022 acquisition of its DSS technology, Horta's capabilities have been embedded in the xarvio FIELD MANAGER platform, with the fruits-and-vegetables launch in late 2025 covering France, Italy, Spain, and Türkiye and planned expansion to tomatoes and potatoes in 2026.
Horta firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Horta
- Legal name
- Horta Srl
- Website
- https://horta-srl.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Horta is an Italian agtech company developing crop-specific Decision Support System (DSS) platforms for precision and sustainable agriculture, serving farmers, agronomic technicians, producer cooperatives, and major agri-food brands including Barilla, Mutti, and Peroni, with technology now embedded in BASF's xarvio platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Horta industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Agriculture Software
- NAICS
- Farm Management Services (115116), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping) (AFAGALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pest/Disease/Weed Detection & Forecasting Analytics (AFABAMAI), Irrigation Scheduling & Water Optimization Analytics (AFABAMAG), Farm Operations Planning & SOP Development (AFACAJAB)
Keywords
Where Horta is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Piacenza
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Horta business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- DSS Subscription Services: Horta provides subscription-based access to its Decision Support Systems for farmers, technicians, and agri-food companies. The platforms are accessible via web and mobile apps, with continuous automatic updates and personalized technical assistance included. Subscription services cover individual crop DSS modules (grapes, cereals, tomatoes, potatoes, olives, etc.) as well as the YouSustain sustainability assessment platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Horta product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Horta develops and operates cloud-based Decision Support Systems (DSS) for sustainable and precision agriculture, with specialized crop modules for grape, durum wheat, tomato, potato, olive, sunflower, maize, barley, onion, and legume/soybean cultivation. The DSS integrate real-time data from one of the world's largest agro-meteorological station networks with crop growth and pest forecasting models to deliver recommendations for fertilization, irrigation, pest management, and harvest timing. Horta also offers the YouSustain sustainability assessment platform (LCA, PEF, Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint), mobile applications, and regenerative agriculture consulting.
Product overview
Horta provides a comprehensive portfolio of Decision Support Systems (DSS) for precision and sustainable agriculture. The core offering consists of crop-specific web-based DSS platforms (vite.net, granoduro.net, patata.net, cipolla.net, girasole.net, pomodoro.net, olivo.net, FiDia.net, and others) that integrate real-time data from agro-meteorological stations to generate decision recommendations for fertilization, irrigation, pest management, and crop lifecycle management. These DSS are accessible via web interfaces (7/7, 24/24 hours) without installation requirements. The product ecosystem includes mobile applications (Barilla granoduro.net APP, Mutti pomodoro.net APP, sprayer calibration APP), the YouSustain sustainability assessment platform, and regenerative agriculture consulting services. Horta's technology is built on continuous research, calibration with experimental farms (Res Uvae, Cà Bosco, La Quercia), and was integrated into BASF's xarvio platform following acquisition in 2022.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- vite.net: Decision Support System for grape/wine cultivation
- olivo.net
- granoduro.net
- pomodoro.net
- patata.net
- cipolla.net
- girasole.net
- YouSustain.net
- FiDia.net
- Res Uvae
- Cà Bosco
- La Quercia
Products and services
- vite.net Professional web-based Decision Support System for wine and table grape cultivation. Provides decision support for phenological monitoring, pest and disease management, irrigation scheduling, fertilization, and sustainable production practices. Targeted at grape growers, agronomic technicians, and producer organizations.
- uva.net
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 15,600 tonnes of sunflower production supported through girasole.net by Tampieri and Coppini in 2019
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Horta
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Horta technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability4 records
Feature16 records
Horta partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- BASF Digital Farming GmbHcoreBASF acquired Horta's Decision Support System in 2022. Horta's DSS technology has been integrated into BASF Digital Farming's xarvio FIELD MANAGER platform, enabling global expansion of the technology. BASF launched xarvio FIELD MANAGER For Fruits & Veggies in March 2025, starting with grape cultivation in France, Italy, Spain, and Türkiye, with plans to expand to tomatoes and potatoes from 2026.
- BarillacoreHorta developed granoduro.net and a dedicated mobile APP for Barilla's Sustainable Farming (BSF) program. Barilla promotes the DSS to its durum wheat supply chain farmers for sustainable cultivation and traceability. Collaboration includes experimental trials at La Quercia farm.
- MutticoreHorta developed pomodoro.net (APP Mutti pomodoro Snap) for Mutti's processing tomato supply chain, enabling sustainable cultivation and traceability for contracted farmers.
- CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (AGRITECH Project)flagshipHorta participates in the Agritech National Research Center (CN00000022, funded by MUR M4C2 Investment 1.4, NextGenerationEU) through multiple projects: AgrLiv Network, HealthyLand. This is a major Italian research infrastructure initiative.
- CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics)coreCollaborates with CREA in Foggia on experimental trials, particularly for cereals and industrial crops at La Quercia experimental farm.
- Università Cattolica del Sacro CuorecoreCollaborated on the design of the Biomassbed system at Res Uvae experimental farm and other R&D projects. Involved in viticulture and enology training programs.
- CON.CER CooperativecoreAgricultural cooperative collaborating with Horta on cereal trials at the La Quercia experimental farm, testing DSS calibration and new cultivation techniques.
- Agroalimentare Sud (Malting plant)coreMalting plant specializing in brewing malt for major breweries (e.g., Heineken) that collaborates on barley trials at La Quercia farm.
- SAPLO (Malting plant)coreMalting plant producing Peroni beer malt, collaborating on barley trials at La Quercia experimental farm.
- Andriani (Mill)coreAndriani mill (specializing in gluten-free products) collaborates on wheat trials at La Quercia farm for food innovation research.
- CCPB (Certification body)coreCCPB certified Horta's YouSustain.net sustainability platform in accordance with the DTS_01 technical document standard for sustainability assessment of agri-food supply chains.
- Unaprol (Olive consortium)coreItaly's largest olive oil consortium using Horta's DSS and olivo.net for sustainable olive cultivation across member farms in the supply chain.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Horta competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Iteris ClearAg: Provider of weather, water, and soil data plus crop modeling APIs feeding agricultural decision-support tools — similar to Horta's agro-meteorological network as an input layer for DSS recommendations.
- xarvio (BASF Digital Farming): BASF's digital farming platform into which Horta's DSS was integrated following the 2022 acquisition; offers crop-specific decision support for fertilization, crop protection, and yield optimization across Europe and globally.
- Climate FieldView (Climate Corp / Bayer): Industry-leading precision agriculture decision-support platform from Bayer/Climate Corp offering field-level data analytics, variable rate recommendations, and crop modeling — the global benchmark Horta competes with in DSS.
- CropX: Israel-based precision agriculture platform combining soil sensors, satellite imagery, and agronomic models for irrigation and crop management decisions — comparable crop-by-crop agronomic recommendation engine approach.
- Granular (Corteva): Corteva's farm management and decision-support software suite for agronomic planning, field records, and financial analysis — directly comparable FMIS/DSS positioning to Horta's modules.
- Conservis: Farm management software platform providing planning, budgeting, and operational analytics for row crop and specialty crop producers — an FMIS competitor for Horta's enterprise and cooperative customers.
- AGRIVI: European-based farm management software with decision-support features for crop production planning, pest and disease monitoring, and weather-driven recommendations — operating in similar EMEA geographies as Horta.
- Tule Technologies: Precision agriculture company specializing in irrigation decision-support and crop water stress monitoring using field-sensor analytics — an overlapping focus area with Horta's irrigation/water-balance modeling.
- Prospera (Valmont Industries): Valmont-owned AI-driven crop monitoring and digital agronomy platform — directly comparable to Horta's image-and-data-driven decision-support system approach for specialty crops.
Broad incumbents
- Trimble Agriculture: Diversified precision agriculture vendor with hardware (GNSS, sprayers) and software (farm management, decision support) — broader portfolio than Horta but overlapping in decision-support and farm data analytics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Horta social profiles
Digital presenceHorta financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Horta leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Horta subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Horta funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Horta 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 Horta
What does Horta do?
Horta develops and operates cloud-based Decision Support Systems (DSS) for sustainable and precision agriculture, with specialized crop modules for grape, durum wheat, tomato, potato, olive, sunflower, maize, barley, onion, and legume/soybean cultivation. The DSS integrate real-time data from one of the world's largest agro-meteorological station networks with crop growth and pest forecasting models to deliver recommendations for fertilization, irrigation, pest management, and harvest timing. Horta also offers the YouSustain sustainability assessment platform (LCA, PEF, Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint), mobile applications, and regenerative agriculture consulting.
Is Horta a public or private company?
Horta is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Horta founded?
Horta was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Horta based?
Horta is headquartered in Piacenza, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Horta make money?
One revenue line is on record: DSS Subscription Services.
Who are Horta's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Iteris ClearAg, xarvio (BASF Digital Farming), Climate FieldView (Climate Corp / Bayer), CropX, Granular (Corteva), Conservis, AGRIVI, Tule Technologies and Prospera (Valmont Industries). Trimble Agriculture is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Horta have an API?
No public API is recorded for Horta.
What industry is Horta in?
Horta's product category is Precision Agriculture Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGALAA, Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping), with a secondary code of AFABAMAI, Pest/Disease/Weed Detection & Forecasting Analytics. Its NAICS code is 115116 and its SIC code is 7373.