What Cifo SPA does

Cifo SPA (legal entity CIFO S.r.l.) is an Italian manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of fertilizers, biostimulants, and plant protection products, founded in 1965 and headquartered in San Giorgio di Piano, in the province of Bologna, Italy. The company operates as a subsidiary of Huber AgroSolutions and serves two distinct market segments through separate go-to-market motions: Professional Agriculture, where it sells specialized nutritional and crop protection inputs to farmers, agronomists, and agricultural technicians via a network of distributor points of sale, and Home & Garden, where it markets a broad consumer-grade portfolio to hobbyist gardeners through garden centers, nurseries, and retail channels.

The product platform is grounded in formulation chemistry derived from natural bioactive substances. Core technology includes Macrocystis integrifolia algae-based biostimulants, enzymatic-hydrolysis amino acid concentrates, flowable sulfur formulations, rhizosphere bioregulators, and rock-dust corroborants, with multiple products registered under Italian fertilizer law (Law 75) for use in organic agriculture. The portfolio spans seven-plus sub-brands (BioNatura, Granverde, Barriera Naturale, Torfy, Terraricca, Integratori, and others) covering fertilizers, biostimulants, plant protection, potting soils, and pest control across both segments.

The business model is a one-time-purchase product sale model intermediated through distribution partners, with no public pricing, no subscription layer, and no direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Demand generation relies on dual-segment digital presence (separate Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram properties), educational content (Professional Magazine, Home & Garden Blog), and experiential events (Cifo Tour, Giornate Cifo). Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Cifo SPA

Legal name

CIFO S.r.l.

Website

http://www.cifo.it/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cifo SPA is an Italian manufacturer of fertilizers, biostimulants, and plant protection products, serving professional farmers through a distributor network and hobbyist gardeners through garden centers and retail, operating since 1965 as a subsidiary of Huber AgroSolutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Fertilizers & Crop Protection

NAICS

Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

NPK & Compound/Blended Fertilizers (IMAEAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fertilizer & Nutrient Retail (Dry, Liquid, Blends) (AFABAJAF), Organic & Biological Input Retail (Biostimulants, Biopesticides, OMRI) (AFABAJAK), Crop Protection Product Retail (Herbicides/Insecticides/Fungicides) (AFABAJAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural fertilizers
• Plant biostimulants
• Crop protection products
• Organic farming inputs
• Garden care products

Headquarters

HQ city

Bologna

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Agriculture Products: Sale of specialized agricultural inputs including NPK fertilizers, liquid special fertilizers, phylloregulators, meso and microelements, organic and organo-mineral products, and biostimulants to professional farmers, agricultural technicians, and commercial growers through a network of points of sale and distributors.
2. Home & Garden Consumer Products: Sale of consumer-grade fertilizers, plant protection products, soil substrates, and gardening accessories to hobbyist gardeners through retail garden centers, nurseries, and specialized distribution channels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cifo SPA manufactures and markets fertilizers, biostimulants, plant protection products, potting soils, and pest control solutions for the agricultural and gardening sectors. The company operates two business segments: Agricoltura Professionale, supplying specialized NPK fertilizers, organic and organo-mineral products, and biostimulants to professional farmers and agronomists through a distributor network; and Home & Garden, supplying consumer-grade fertilizers, substrates, and pest control products to hobbyist gardeners through garden centers and retail outlets. Products are based on proprietary natural formulations including algae extracts, amino acids, and rock dust, many registered for organic farming.

Product overview

Cifo SPA is an Italian agricultural products company organized into two main business segments: Agricoltura Professionale (Professional Agriculture) serving farmers and agricultural technicians, and Home & Garden serving hobbyists. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of fertilizers, biostimulants, plant protection products, potting soils, and pest control solutions. Key product lines include: Linea Barriera Naturale (natural plant protection), Linea BioNatura (organic fertilizers including BioNatura Agrumi, BioNatura Bio ORO, BioNatura Orto Frutto, BioNatura TOP N), Linea Granverde (comprehensive garden fertilizers in granular, water-soluble, and liquid forms), Linea Torfy (specialized potting soils and expanded clay), Linea Terraricca (potting soils), and Linea Integratori (supplements). Individual products include Cifoblok (plant resistance activator), Cifotris Bio (natural insecticide-fungicide-acaricide), Zolfo Flow Plus (sulfur formulation), Polvere di Roccia (rock dust corroborant), Olio di Neem, Piretro Garden, Propoli, and various rodent/pest control products. All products are designed to satisfy both hobbyists and professionals with focus on food safety, natural resource preservation, and quality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Linea Barriera Naturale: Natural barrier product line for plant protection against weeds, insects, and fungi
• Linea BioNatura
• Linea Integratori
• Linea Torfy
• Linea Terraricca
• Linea Granverde
• BioNatura
• Granverde

Products and services

• Agricoltura Professionale (Professional Agriculture) Segment Business segment supplying specialized NPK fertilizers, liquid special fertilizers, phylloregulators, meso and microelements, organic and organo-mineral products, and biostimulants to professional farmers, agricultural technicians, and agronomists in Italy.
• Home & Garden Segment Consumer-facing product portfolio for hobbyist gardeners including fertilizers, biostimulants, plant protection products, potting soils, expanded clay, and pest control products for home, balcony, terrace, and small garden use.
• Linea Barriera Naturale (Natural Barrier Line) Natural barrier product line for plant protection against weeds, insects, pests, and fungi using natural ingredients.
• Linea BioNatura (Organic Fertilizer Line)
• Linea Integratori (Supplement Line)
• Linea Torfy (Substrates & Expanded Clay)
• Linea Terraricca (Potting Soils)
• Linea Granverde (Garden Fertilizers)
• Zolfo Flow Plus Highly concentrated flowable sulfur formulation allowed in organic agriculture. Promotes chlorophyll photosynthesis and protein formation; used for preventing sulfur deficiencies across horticultural, fruit-bearing, aromatic, and ornamental plants.
• Cifoblok
• Cifoblok Plus
• Cifotris Bio
• Polvere di Roccia (Rock Dust)
• Olio di Neem
• Piretro Garden PFnPO
• Propoli Cifo
• Ferronite Giardino PFnPO
• Nephorin
• Fly Trap
• Vesphorin
• Intrap TOP
• Disabituante (Animal Repellent)
• Copper
• Conservo P

Quantifiable outcome

• Macys BC 28 and Sinergon Bio application at recommended doses (1.5 L/ha each) improves olive fruit set and drupe filling for better oil yield and quality
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Huber AgroSolutionscoreOthersCifo operates as a company within the Huber AgroSolutions group, serving as a subsidiary or affiliated brand under this parent company specializing in agrochemical and agricultural solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Compo: German-based leader in home and garden fertilizers, biostimulants, and plant care products. Direct competitor to Cifo's Home & Garden segment with comparable product categories (fertilizers, substrates, plant protection) and overlapping retail distribution across Europe.
• Italpollina: Italian producer of organic fertilizers, biostimulants, and beneficial microorganisms for professional agriculture. Closely comparable to Cifo in geography (Italy), product mix (biostimulants, organic inputs), and customer base (professional growers across Europe).
• Valagro: Italian biostimulant and specialty plant nutrition company (now part of Syngenta Group). Direct competitor in biostimulant formulations for specialty crops, with overlapping presence in olive, fruit, and vegetable segments where Cifo also competes.
• Haifa Group: Israel-based specialty fertilizer producer focused on water-soluble NPK, controlled-release fertilizers, and foliar nutrition. Comparable to Cifo's specialty liquid and water-soluble fertilizer portfolio serving professional horticulture and agriculture.

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Crop Science: Global agrochemical incumbent offering crop protection, seeds, and digital farming. Operates broadly across the same agricultural input space as Cifo (fertilizers, biostimulants, crop protection) but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• Syngenta Group: Global agrochemical and seed company that acquired Valagro in 2020 to build a biologicals platform. Direct overlap with Cifo in biostimulants and crop nutrition, but with multinational scale, broader product portfolio, and deeper R&D.
• BASF Agricultural Solutions: Global agricultural inputs player with extensive fertilizer, crop protection, and seed portfolios. Comparable in offering crop nutrition and protection solutions but with a much larger geographic and product footprint than Cifo.
• Yara International: World's largest nitrogen fertilizer producer with growing specialty crop nutrition and biostimulant offerings. Overlaps with Cifo in plant nutrition but operates at commodity-fertilizer scale well above Cifo's mid-sized specialty positioning.

Emerging players

• Koppert Biological Systems: Dutch leader in biological crop protection and pollination. Comparable to Cifo's natural-barrier and biological plant protection portfolio (Cifoblok, Cifotris Bio, Blok Sinergy), representing the biologicals shift that increasingly competes with traditional chemistries.
• Neudorff: German manufacturer of organic and natural home and garden products (fertilizers, plant protection, pest control). Closely comparable to Cifo's Home & Garden segment in channel (retail garden centers), product type (organic, natural), and target customer (hobbyist gardeners).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeRUT9O2Ga7eKVcvmSSFTVw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cifo1965
• Instagraminstagram.com/cifo_giardinaggio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cifo-s.p.a.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cifo SPA