Nunhems
Nunhems is BASF's vegetable seed business, breeding and selling 1,200+ commercial seed varieties across 20 crops to commercial vegetable growers in 100+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1920
- HeadquartersGurugram, India
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Nunhems does
Nunhems is the vegetable seed business of BASF SE and one of the world's largest dedicated vegetable seed breeders, operating 1,200+ commercial seed varieties across 20 crops (carrot, onion, spinach, lettuce, melon, watermelon, cucumber, tomato, pepper, leek, artichoke) in 100+ countries. Its core technology is conventional and marker-assisted hybrid breeding, supported by a proprietary Seed Technology platform that produces precision seed through priming, pelleting, film coating, and glue coating, plus disease-resistance testing in phytopathology chambers. Revenue is generated through direct sales of branded seed to commercial vegetable growers and hydroponic/greenhouse operators, complemented by a global channel partner network of agricultural distributors and resellers, with quote-based/tiered pricing and no public per-unit pricing. The company is integrated with BASF Agricultural Solutions, which provides crop protection, digital tools, and sustainability capabilities bundled with its seed offerings, and is expanding its footprint via the pending acquisition of Noble Seeds in India, a €40M facility expansion in the Netherlands, and a new AI co-development partnership with Biographica to compress breeding timelines.
Nunhems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nunhems
- Legal name
- Nunhems Netherlands B.V.
- Website
- https://nunhems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1920
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Nunhems is BASF's vegetable seed business, breeding and selling 1,200+ commercial seed varieties across 20 crops to commercial vegetable growers in 100+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nunhems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vegetable Seeds
- NAICS
- Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Open-Pollinated/Varietal Seed Multiplication (AFAGAIAE)
Keywords
Where Nunhems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gurugram
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices7 records
Markets served
Nunhems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Vegetable Seed Sales: BASF | Nunhems generates revenue primarily through the sale of vegetable seed products to growers worldwide, including seed treatments and precision seed technologies. The company operates across 100+ countries and offers 1,200+ commercial vegetable seed varieties across 20 crops.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Nunhems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nunhems breeds, develops, and sells commercial vegetable seed varieties for professional growers worldwide. The company offers 1,200+ varieties across 20 crops including carrot, onion, spinach, lettuce, melon, watermelon, cucumber, tomato, pepper, leek, and artichoke, supported by proprietary seed treatment and precision seed technology. Seeds are designed to address climate change, disease pressure, labor shortages, and shifting consumer demands in commercial vegetable production.
Product overview
BASF | Nunhems is a vegetable seed company offering a comprehensive portfolio of 1,200 commercial vegetable seed varieties across 20 crops. The product portfolio includes core seed offerings for Carrot, Onion, Spinach, Lettuce, Melon, Watermelon, Cucumber, Tomato, Peppers, Leek, and Artichoke. Lettuce and Cucumber are offered in multiple segments (High Tech/Open Field for lettuce; High Tech/Processing for cucumber and tomato). The company recently expanded its portfolio with the launch of Percyst Carrots in December 2025. Seeds are designed to help growers meet challenges of climate change, labor shortages, disease pressure, and changing consumer demands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Carrot Seeds Carrot seed varieties for commercial growers; Nunhems has over 50 years of experience as a leading carrot seed producer, offering a wide range of varieties tailored to regional preferences and demands.
- Onion Seeds
- Spinach Seeds
- Lettuce Seeds
- Melon Seeds
- Watermelon Seeds
- Cucumber Seeds
- Tomato Seeds
- Pepper Seeds
- Leek Seeds
- Artichoke Seeds
- Percyst Carrots Breakthrough carrot innovation representing advanced breeding development in the carrot seed portfolio, targeting growers worldwide with enhanced traits.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 500 million consumers worldwide enjoy vegetables grown from BASF | Nunhems seeds every day
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Nunhems
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Nunhems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Nunhems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- BiographicaminorBiographica, a London-based AI startup, announced a partnership with BASF | Nunhems. The collaboration involves Biographica's AI platform that identifies genetic targets 12x faster than traditional methods, cutting crop development timelines by up to five years. Early pilots have progressed into commercial agreements. Biographica raised €8 million in seed funding in January 2026 with BASF | Nunhems listed as a collaboration partner.
- KUBOminorKUBO was visited during the Leafy Hydroponic Summit 2026, where international participants toured KUBO's Ultra-Clima greenhouse concept. KUBO's greenhouse technology demonstrated notably lower CO2, electricity, and water use compared to standard Venlo greenhouses.
- Beekenkamp PlantsminorBeekenkamp Plants was visited during the Leafy Hydroponic Summit 2026 as one of the leading horticultural businesses in the Westland region of the Netherlands, showcasing developments in hydroponic lettuce propagation.
- Noble Seeds Pvt. Ltd.coreBASF | Nunhems has agreed to acquire Noble Seeds Pvt. Ltd., a vegetable seed company based in New Delhi, India. Founded in 2004 with 154 employees, Noble Seeds will expand BASF | Nunhems' crop portfolio to include cauliflower and radish seeds and increase market coverage in North India. The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q1 2026, pending statutory approval. Both companies will operate independently during the transition.
- C-LEDcoreBASF | Nunhems has a decade-long partnership with C-LED, which provides artificial LED lighting solutions including COMBO and SLIM product ranges at its research center in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. C-LED's adjustable spectrum lighting enables year-round breeding and pathology research on tomatoes, watermelons, and peppers, allowing researchers to overcome seasonal limitations and conduct standardized controlled experiments for disease resistance testing.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Nunhems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Enza Zaden: Netherlands-based vegetable breeding company focused on hybrid varieties for protected and open-field cultivation; competes with Nunhems across leafy greens, tomato, pepper, and cucurbits with comparable portfolio breadth.
- Bejo Zaden: Dutch vegetable seed specialist with strong position in onion, carrot, cabbage, and leek — directly overlapping with Nunhems' core crops; comparable family-owned breeding heritage and global distribution.
- Vilmorin & Cie (Limagrain): French vegetable seed business within Limagrain, one of the world's largest seed producers; directly competes with Nunhems in carrot, tomato, pepper, melon, and onion with significant R&D scale.
- Syngenta Vegetable Seeds: Syngenta's vegetable seeds division competes directly with Nunhems across major crops including tomato, pepper, watermelon, and melon, serving commercial growers globally with hybrid breeding programs.
- Takii & Co. Japanese vegetable and flower seed company with international operations; overlaps with Nunhems in cucurbits, root crops, and leafy vegetables with similar breeding-led approach.
- Bayer Crop Science (Seminis / De Ruiter): Bayer's vegetable seeds business (Seminis and De Ruiter) is the closest direct competitor to Nunhems, offering a global hybrid vegetable seed portfolio across tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons, and onions with comparable breeding scale and distribution.
- Sakata Seed Corporation: Japanese vegetable seed breeder with global distribution, particularly strong in brassicas, cucurbits, tomato, and melon; comparable hybrid-focused breeding model and similar premium positioning.
- Rijk Zwaan: Dutch family-owned vegetable seed breeder with global presence across protected and open-field crops (lettuce, tomato, pepper, cucumber); comparable breeding-led business model and similar European heritage to Nunhems.
Emerging players
- East-West Seed: Tropical-focused vegetable seed company with strong smallholder grower base in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; comparable hybrid vegetable breeding but distinct geographic and customer segment focus from Nunhems.
- Advanta Seeds (UPL): Global seed company owned by UPL, with vegetable seed exposure alongside field crops; partial overlap with Nunhems in tropical/subtropical vegetable segments, particularly in Asia.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Nunhems social profiles
Digital presenceNunhems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Nunhems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nunhems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Nunhems subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Nunhems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nunhems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nunhems
What does Nunhems do?
Nunhems breeds, develops, and sells commercial vegetable seed varieties for professional growers worldwide. The company offers 1,200+ varieties across 20 crops including carrot, onion, spinach, lettuce, melon, watermelon, cucumber, tomato, pepper, leek, and artichoke, supported by proprietary seed treatment and precision seed technology. Seeds are designed to address climate change, disease pressure, labor shortages, and shifting consumer demands in commercial vegetable production.
Is Nunhems a public or private company?
Nunhems is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Nunhems founded?
Nunhems was founded in 1920. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Nunhems based?
Nunhems is headquartered in Gurugram, India, in the Asia region.
How does Nunhems make money?
One revenue line is on record: vegetable Seed Sales.
Who are Nunhems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Enza Zaden, Bejo Zaden, Vilmorin & Cie (Limagrain), Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, Takii & Co., Bayer Crop Science (Seminis / De Ruiter), Sakata Seed Corporation and Rijk Zwaan. Emerging players are East-West Seed and Advanta Seeds (UPL).
Does Nunhems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nunhems.
What industry is Nunhems in?
Nunhems's product category is Vegetable Seeds. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAIAF, Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAE, Open-Pollinated/Varietal Seed Multiplication. Its NAICS code is 1112 and its SIC code is 100.