Plantel Nurseries
Plantel Nurseries is a privately held Santa Maria, California-based commercial vegetable transplant producer founded in 1987, supplying over 1 billion greenhouse-grown plants annually to commercial farmers, plus organic transplants, field transplanting services, and proprietary seedling trays.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersSanta Maria, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Plantel Nurseries does
Plantel Nurseries, Inc. is a privately held, B2B commercial agriculture supplier founded in 1987 and headquartered in Santa Maria, California. The company specializes in greenhouse-grown vegetable transplants, producing over 1 billion plants annually for commercial vegetable farmers across the United States, with demonstrated delivery reach of up to 1,600 miles via a proprietary plant bin transportation system. Its four product lines are: (1) Quality Vegetable Transplants grown in 16-foot-sidewall greenhouses with computer-controlled climate management; (2) Certified Organic Transplants (GOCA-certified since 1999, producing 250M+ plants annually with minimum orders of 25,000 plants); (3) Field Transplanting Services operating dedicated crews year-round across approximately 36,000 acres locally, using conventional and custom-built equipment from 4-line to 20-line configurations; and (4) injection-molded polypropylene seedling trays sold to other nursery operators, with some units lasting up to 20 years in production.
The underlying technology stack centers on large-format greenhouses with automated climate control (temperature, humidity, vents, heaters, sidewalls) backed by redundant systems including generators, water storage, and critical parts inventory. Plantel designs and fabricates its own transplanting equipment and proprietary plant bins in-house, and holds a California labor contractor license (#50468) for its field services operations. The company operates as a sales-led, direct-engagement business with no public pricing, negotiated per-customer commercial terms, and marketing conducted primarily through its website, a Facebook page, and direct phone/email inquiries. Ownership is private with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds.
Plantel Nurseries firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plantel Nurseries
- Legal name
- Plantel Nurseries, Inc.
- Website
- https://plantelnurseries.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Plantel Nurseries is a privately held Santa Maria, California-based commercial vegetable transplant producer founded in 1987, supplying over 1 billion greenhouse-grown plants annually to commercial farmers, plus organic transplants, field transplanting services, and proprietary seedling trays.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plantel Nurseries industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Plant Transplants
- NAICS
- Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Propagation & Seedling/Plug Production (Vegetable Transplants, Tissue-Culture Liners) (AFAGAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nursery & Greenhouse Seeding/Transplanting Equipment (Seeders, Plug Transplanters) (AFAAABAE), Transplanters (Vegetable, Tobacco, Rice) (AFAAABAD)
Keywords
Where Plantel Nurseries is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Maria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Plantel Nurseries business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Vegetable Transplant Production and Sales: Production and sale of quality vegetable transplants to commercial farmers. Plants are grown in state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities and shipped to customers. The company produces over a billion plants annually.
- Organic Transplant Production: Certified organic vegetable transplant production for commercial organic producers. Produces over 250 million organic plants annually with minimum order quantities of 25,000 plants.
- Transplanting Services: Field transplanting services provided by experienced crews using conventional and automatic transplanting equipment. The company transplants approximately 36,000 acres annually in the local area.
- Seedling Tray Sales: Sale of injection-molded high-density polypropylene seedling trays that are durable, easy to clean, and designed for long-term use in nursery operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Commercial transplant orders |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Plantel Nurseries product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plantel Nurseries is an agricultural producer that grows commercial vegetable transplants in state-of-the-art greenhouses with computer-controlled environments, producing over a billion plants per year for commercial farmers. Its core offerings include conventional and certified organic vegetable transplants, contracted field transplanting services (covering approximately 36,000 acres annually in the local region), and durable injection-molded polypropylene seedling trays sold to nursery operators. The company ships transplants up to 1,600 miles using its proprietary plant bin transportation system.
Product overview
Plantel Nurseries operates as a vegetable transplant producer offering four interconnected products and services: Quality Vegetable Transplants (the core product grown in state-of-the-art greenhouses with computer-controlled environments), Organic Transplants (certified since 1999 for commercial organic producers), Transplanting Services (field crews operating conventional and automatic transplanting equipment across approximately 36,000 acres annually), and Seedling Trays (durable injection-molded polypropylene trays sold to support nursery operations). The company produces over a billion plants per year and has been in operation since 1987.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Quality Vegetable Transplants Greenhouse-grown commercial vegetable transplants produced in state-of-the-art facilities with 16-foot sidewalls and computer-controlled growing environments. The company produces over a billion plants annually, focusing on field performance, vigor, and survival rates for commercial-scale vegetable farmers.
- Organic Vegetable Transplants Certified organic vegetable transplants for commercial organic producers, produced in computer-controlled greenhouses using an environmental philosophy of disease control and OMRI-approved inputs. Minimum order is 25,000 plants and the program produces over 250 million organic plants annually.
- Transplanting Services Field transplanting services performed by experienced Plantel crews using conventional mechanical transplanters (4-row to 9-row wide-bed configurations) and custom-built transplanting equipment (4-line to 20-line machines). Approximately 36,000 acres are transplanted annually in the local Santa Maria area; service is available locally only under Labor Contractors License #50468.
- Seedling Trays Injection-molded high-density polypropylene seedling trays that are durable, easy to clean, and nest together for stable, space-saving stacks. Smooth cell walls enable easy seedling extraction; trays have demonstrated longevity of up to 20 years in production and are sold directly to nursery operators and farmers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% field stands achieved through transplanting versus inconsistent direct seeding results
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Plantel Nurseries
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Plantel Nurseries technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Plantel Nurseries partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Plantel Nurseries competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Speedling Incorporated: Speedling is one of the largest US vegetable transplant producers with similar greenhouse-based propagation across multiple crops, competing directly with Plantel for commercial vegetable farmer accounts.
- Plug Connection: California-based organic and conventional vegetable plug producer with overlapping organic transplant programs and a similar B2B sales motion targeting commercial growers.
- BHN Seed: Vegetable seed breeder that also produces transplants for commercial growers, operating in the same vegetable transplant value chain with focus on hybrid varieties.
- Mechanical Transplanter Company: Manufacturer of mechanical and automatic transplanting equipment sold to vegetable and nursery operations, directly comparable to Plantel's in-house custom transplanting equipment fabrication capability.
- Atlas Manufacturing: Manufacturer of agricultural transplanting and planting equipment including vegetable transplanters, comparable to Plantel's custom 4-to-20 line transplanting machines.
- Greenheart Farms: California-based nursery producing vegetable and ornamental transplants and plugs for commercial customers, with overlapping product categories and customer segments.
Regional players
- Growers Transplanting: California-based vegetable transplanting and greenhouse operation with similar field transplanting crew services, primarily serving West Coast commercial vegetable growers.
Broad incumbents
- Sakata Seed America: Global vegetable seed breeder that also operates transplant production for commercial growers, a broader incumbent with overlapping customer base in commercial vegetable transplant supply.
- Ball Horticultural Company: Large horticulture industry incumbent supplying seeds, plugs, and young plants across ornamentals and vegetables, providing overlapping plug/transplant products to commercial growers at greater scale.
Emerging players
- Johnny's Selected Seeds: Seed and young plant supplier serving commercial growers and serious gardeners with vegetable transplants and seedlings, an adjacent player with overlapping end customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Plantel Nurseries social profiles
Digital presencePlantel Nurseries compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Plantel Nurseries financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plantel Nurseries leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Plantel Nurseries funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plantel Nurseries 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 Plantel Nurseries
What does Plantel Nurseries do?
Plantel Nurseries is an agricultural producer that grows commercial vegetable transplants in state-of-the-art greenhouses with computer-controlled environments, producing over a billion plants per year for commercial farmers. Its core offerings include conventional and certified organic vegetable transplants, contracted field transplanting services (covering approximately 36,000 acres annually in the local region), and durable injection-molded polypropylene seedling trays sold to nursery operators. The company ships transplants up to 1,600 miles using its proprietary plant bin transportation system.
Is Plantel Nurseries a public or private company?
Plantel Nurseries is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Plantel Nurseries founded?
Plantel Nurseries was founded in 1987. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Plantel Nurseries based?
Plantel Nurseries is headquartered in Santa Maria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Plantel Nurseries make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Vegetable Transplant Production and Sales are the primary driver. The others are organic Transplant Production, transplanting Services and seedling Tray Sales.
Who are Plantel Nurseries's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Speedling Incorporated, Plug Connection, BHN Seed, Mechanical Transplanter Company, Atlas Manufacturing and Greenheart Farms. Growers Transplanting is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Sakata Seed America and Ball Horticultural Company. Johnny's Selected Seeds is listed as an emerging player.
Does Plantel Nurseries have an API?
No public API is recorded for Plantel Nurseries.
What industry is Plantel Nurseries in?
Plantel Nurseries's product category is Agricultural Plant Transplants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAG, Propagation & Seedling/Plug Production (Vegetable Transplants, Tissue-Culture Liners), with a secondary code of AFAAABAE, Nursery & Greenhouse Seeding/Transplanting Equipment (Seeders, Plug Transplanters). Its NAICS code is 11142 and its SIC code is 100.