Nelson and Pade
Nelson and Pade, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Montello, Wisconsin, designs and sells aquaponic systems along with training programs, supplies, and ongoing support to individuals, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and educational institutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersMontello, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Nelson and Pade does
Nelson and Pade is a privately held, for-profit company headquartered in Montello, Wisconsin (United States), founded in 1985. The firm provides aquaponic systems, training, supplies, and support. Its customer base spans four distinct segments: individual hobbyists, entrepreneurs building commercial operations, government entities, and educational institutions (schools). The company operates with a small workforce of 11–50 employees, consistent with a specialized niche equipment-and-education business operating in a narrow agricultural-technology category.
The company's core offering centers on aquaponic systems — a form of controlled-environment agriculture that combines aquaculture (fish cultivation) with hydroponics (soilless plant cultivation) in a recirculating water system. Nelson and Pade packages this hardware with training programs and ongoing supplies/support, positioning itself as a vertically integrated provider of equipment plus knowledge transfer rather than a pure equipment reseller. The 40-year operating history since 1985 suggests an established incumbent in a niche category, though current product specifications, system pricing, and curriculum details are not available in the source data (the firm's website returned only a loading/verification page at the time of data capture).
The revenue model is implicitly a combination of one-time hardware sales (aquaponic systems, which typically carry multi-thousand-dollar unit prices), recurring consumables (fish, feed, seeds, replacement components), and training-fee revenue. No pricing, contract structure, or channel mix is disclosed in the source material. Geographic footprint is not documented beyond the US headquarters; no export markets or international channels are evidenced.
Nelson and Pade firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nelson and Pade
- Website
- https://aquaponics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Nelson and Pade, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Montello, Wisconsin, designs and sells aquaponic systems along with training programs, supplies, and ongoing support to individuals, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and educational institutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nelson and Pade industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aquaponic Systems and Controlled Environment Agriculture Equipment
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (1125), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production) (AFAEAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Aquaculture Health, Biosecurity & Veterinary Services (AFAEAAAK), Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM), Aquaculture & Fisheries Operations (EDAOAOAK), Finfish Farming (e.g., salmon, tilapia, catfish) (AFAEAAAA)
Keywords
Where Nelson and Pade is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montello
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Nelson and Pade business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Nelson and Pade product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nelson and Pade designs, manufactures, and sells aquaponic systems that combine fish aquaculture with hydroponic plant cultivation in a closed-loop environment. The company also provides training, supplies, and ongoing support to customers operating these systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aquaponic Systems
Companies that use Nelson and Pade
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Nelson and Pade technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Nelson and Pade partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Expansion highlights1 record
Nelson and Pade competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AeroFarms: Well-capitalized vertical farming company operating large-scale indoor farms using controlled-environment technology. Broad incumbent in the same overall CEA category Nelson and Pade addresses, but at industrial scale and without the aquaculture integration; useful for benchmarking the addressable market for advanced growing systems.
- Hydrofarm Holdings Group: Publicly traded distributor and manufacturer of hydroponics equipment, grow media, and controlled-environment-agriculture supplies. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving hobbyist and commercial CEA buyers with overlapping product categories to Nelson and Pade's systems and supplies.
- General Hydroponics: Established manufacturer of hydroponic nutrients, systems, and accessories serving hobbyist and small commercial growers. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping CEA/hydroponic system offerings, though it focuses on hydroponics without the integrated aquaculture component that defines Nelson and Pade.
- Plenty: Vertical farming company building large indoor farms using proprietary LED and robotics technology. Broad incumbent in CEA competing for the same downstream customer (grocers, food service) that Nelson and Pade's commercial system buyers eventually serve, though at vastly different scale.
Emerging players
- Eden Green Technology: Vertical farming company producing leafy greens in proprietary greenhouse systems with partnerships for retail distribution. Emerging player in CEA targeting similar end markets (fresh produce buyers, retailers) and showcasing an alternate commercial path that could compete with or complement aquaponic-grown produce from Nelson and Pade's customer base.
- ZipGrow (Bright Agrotech): Manufacturer of vertical hydroponic growing systems and towers sold to small farmers, schools, and urban growers. Emerging player with overlapping customer segments (schools, entrepreneurs) and a similar equipment-plus-training commercial approach to Nelson and Pade.
- Freight Farms: Manufactures containerized vertical farming systems sold to entrepreneurs, schools, and corporate buyers. Strong comparability on the "plug-and-play system sold to non-traditional growers" model, which closely mirrors Nelson and Pade's value proposition, though Freight Farms focuses on hydroponics rather than aquaponics.
Direct peers
- Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems: One of the largest suppliers of aquaculture and aquatic life-support equipment in North America. Direct peer because it sells complete aquaculture systems, components, and training resources to commercial fish farmers and hobbyists - a highly comparable buyer profile to Nelson and Pade's.
- Current Culture H2O: Designs and sells commercial and hobbyist hydroponic systems, nutrients, and training. Direct peer in the controlled-environment equipment space with a comparable hybrid retail/commercial and training-supported go-to-market, though focused on hydroponics rather than integrated aquaponics.
- AquaCal AutoPilot: Long-established manufacturer of aquaculture water-chilling and environmental control equipment used by fish farmers and aquaponic operators. Direct peer because it supplies critical hardware infrastructure (temperature, water quality control) into the same aquaponic and aquaculture systems that Nelson and Pade assembles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Nelson and Pade social profiles
Digital presenceNelson and Pade financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nelson and Pade leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Nelson and Pade funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nelson and Pade 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 Nelson and Pade
What does Nelson and Pade do?
Nelson and Pade designs, manufactures, and sells aquaponic systems that combine fish aquaculture with hydroponic plant cultivation in a closed-loop environment. The company also provides training, supplies, and ongoing support to customers operating these systems.
When was Nelson and Pade founded?
Nelson and Pade was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Nelson and Pade based?
Nelson and Pade is headquartered in Montello, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Nelson and Pade's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AeroFarms, Hydrofarm Holdings Group, General Hydroponics and Plenty. Emerging players are Eden Green Technology, ZipGrow (Bright Agrotech) and Freight Farms. Direct peers are Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, Current Culture H2O and AquaCal AutoPilot.
Does Nelson and Pade have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nelson and Pade.
What industry is Nelson and Pade in?
Nelson and Pade's product category is Aquaponic Systems and Controlled Environment Agriculture Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAI, Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production), with a secondary code of AFAEAAAK, Aquaculture Health, Biosecurity & Veterinary Services. Its NAICS code is 1125 and its SIC code is 3523.