Nunhems

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.

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

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

• Vegetable seed breeding
• Hybrid seed varieties
• Commercial seed production
• Crop genetics
• Agricultural biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurugram

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BiographicaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2026Biographica, 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.
• KUBOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026KUBO 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 PlantsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Beekenkamp 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.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025BASF | 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-LEDcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015BASF | 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

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NunhemsGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/nunhems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nunhems

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nunhems