Plant Sciences, Inc.
Plant Sciences Genetics is a California-based berry breeding company, founded in 1985, that develops and licenses proprietary strawberry and blackberry varieties to commercial growers in California and Baja, Mexico, using gene editing partnerships with Simplot and Pairwise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWatsonville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Plant Sciences, Inc. does
Plant Sciences Genetics (PSG), operating under the legal name Plant Sciences, Inc., is a California-based berry breeding company founded in 1985 and headquartered in Watsonville. The company develops proprietary strawberry and blackberry varieties and licenses or sells plant material to commercial berry growers in key growing districts including Oxnard, Santa Maria (California), and Baja (Mexico). Its go-to-market is B2B and sales-led, with plant orders taken ahead of each growing season.
The company's core technology stack is built on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), executed through gene editing partnerships with Simplot for strawberries and Pairwise for blackberries. These alliances are intended to accelerate development of varieties with improved shelf-life, yield, and eating quality. PSG's flagship recent product, the VS-60 strawberry variety launched on March 26, 2026, was engineered to address agronomic challenges such as rainy-condition performance and late-season fruit integrity while preserving flavor quality, and is currently being distributed to the named growing districts.
PSG generates revenue primarily through one-time licensing and direct sales of proprietary plant material to commercial growers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and there is no indication of recurring subscription or royalty-based pricing. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees, is led by founder Steve Nelson (President and CEO), and operates without disclosed institutional investors, subsidiaries, or acquisitions. Its strategic posture, including alignment with the EU's 2025 gene editing ruling, positions PSG to scale its NGT-enabled variety pipeline in subsequent seasons.
Plant Sciences, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plant Sciences, Inc.
- Legal name
- Plant Sciences Genetics
- Website
- https://plantsciences.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Plant Sciences Genetics is a California-based berry breeding company, founded in 1985, that develops and licenses proprietary strawberry and blackberry varieties to commercial growers in California and Baja, Mexico, using gene editing partnerships with Simplot and Pairwise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plant Sciences, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Berry Breeding and Plant Genetics
- akta.pro primary industry
- Trait Discovery & Functional Genomics (Target ID/Validation) (AFABALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG), Seed Trait Licensing & IP Management (Licensing, freedom-to-operate) (AFABALAJ), Transformation & Tissue Culture Platforms (Plant regeneration, delivery systems) (AFABALAH)
Keywords
Where Plant Sciences, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Watsonville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Plant Sciences, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Berry Variety Licensing and Sales: PSG develops proprietary berry varieties and generates revenue through licensing and sales of plant materials (seeds/plants) to commercial growers. Plant orders are currently underway for the VS-60 variety ahead of the upcoming growing season.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Plant Sciences, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plant Sciences Genetics (PSG) develops and licenses proprietary strawberry and blackberry varieties to commercial berry growers. The company combines over 40 years of traditional breeding expertise with gene editing partnerships (Simplot for strawberries, Pairwise for blackberries) to develop varieties with improved shelf-life, yield, and eating quality. Revenue is generated through licensing and sales of plant materials (seeds/plants) to commercial growers in key California and Baja growing districts.
Product overview
Plant Sciences Genetics is a California-based berry breeding company focused on developing strawberry varieties. The company's product portfolio centers on proprietary strawberry varieties like VS-60, which represents its strategic direction combining grower performance traits with supply chain value creation, reflecting 40+ years of commitment to strengthening the berry industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VS-60 Strawberry Variety A proprietary strawberry variety designed to address agronomic challenges including performance in rainy conditions and late-season fruit integrity while maintaining flavor quality. Targeted at commercial strawberry growers in California and Baja Mexico growing districts.
Quantifiable outcome
- VS-60 demonstrates strong performance across key growing districts including Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Baja
Companies that use Plant Sciences, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Plant Sciences, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Plant Sciences, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SimplotcoreGene editing partnership for strawberries, leveraging Simplot's technology to accelerate development of strawberry varieties with improved shelf-life, yield, and eating quality using New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).
- PairwisecoreGene editing partnership for blackberries, working with Pairwise to develop blackberry varieties with improved shelf-life, yield, and eating quality through New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Plant Sciences, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BASF Agricultural Solutions: Global agricultural input company with seed and trait operations. Relevant broad incumbent competing in trait development across major crops.
- Corteva: Global seed and crop protection company with an extensive gene edited trait portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could enter berry genetics.
- Syngenta: Global seed and crop protection company with broad trait development capabilities. Relevant broad incumbent that competes in plant genetics and could expand into berry traits.
- Bayer Crop Science: Global seed and trait giant with extensive gene editing and trait development capabilities. Relevant as a much larger incumbent that could enter strawberry/blackberry trait licensing.
Direct peers
- Naturipe Farms: Major berry producer with proprietary breeding programs across strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Directly comparable to PSG as a vertically integrated berry genetics company.
- Driscoll's: The largest global berry company, with proprietary breeding programs across strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Directly comparable to PSG as a vertically integrated berry genetics and licensing business.
- Fall Creek Farm & Nursery: International nursery specializing in blueberry, raspberry, and other berry plant propagation and variety development. Highly comparable to PSG in its breeder-licensor model serving commercial berry growers.
- Wish Farms: US-based strawberry and blueberry grower-marketer with proprietary strawberry variety programs. Comparable to PSG as a strawberry-focused breeder and licensor serving commercial growers.
- Well-Pict Berries: California-based strawberry grower with proprietary variety development. Comparable to PSG in serving California commercial strawberry growers with proprietary genetics.
Emerging players
- Pairwise: Pioneering gene editing company developing improved fruit varieties including a seedless blackberry and a pitless cherry. Although a PSG partner, comparable as an emerging gene editing platform for fruit/berry category.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Plant Sciences, Inc. social profiles
Digital presencePlant Sciences, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plant Sciences, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Plant Sciences, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plant Sciences, Inc. 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 Plant Sciences, Inc.
What does Plant Sciences, Inc. do?
Plant Sciences Genetics (PSG) develops and licenses proprietary strawberry and blackberry varieties to commercial berry growers. The company combines over 40 years of traditional breeding expertise with gene editing partnerships (Simplot for strawberries, Pairwise for blackberries) to develop varieties with improved shelf-life, yield, and eating quality. Revenue is generated through licensing and sales of plant materials (seeds/plants) to commercial growers in key California and Baja growing districts.
Is Plant Sciences, Inc. a public or private company?
Plant Sciences, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Plant Sciences, Inc. founded?
Plant Sciences, Inc. was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Plant Sciences, Inc. based?
Plant Sciences, Inc. is headquartered in Watsonville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Plant Sciences, Inc. make money?
One revenue line is on record: berry Variety Licensing and Sales.
Who are Plant Sciences, Inc.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BASF Agricultural Solutions, Corteva, Syngenta and Bayer Crop Science. Direct peers are Naturipe Farms, Driscoll's, Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, Wish Farms and Well-Pict Berries. Pairwise is listed as an emerging player.
Does Plant Sciences, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Plant Sciences, Inc..
What industry is Plant Sciences, Inc. in?
Plant Sciences, Inc.'s product category is Berry Breeding and Plant Genetics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABALAC, Trait Discovery & Functional Genomics (Target ID/Validation), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAG, Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development.