What Duarte Nursery does

Duarte Nursery, Inc. is a family-owned permanent crops nursery headquartered in Hughson, California, self-described as the largest in the United States. Founded in 1988 and now in its third generation of family ownership under brothers John and Jeff Duarte, the company produces containerized fruit and nut trees, clonal rootstocks, and winegrape vines for commercial growers across the West Coast. Core product lines include almond varieties (with the USDA-released Yorizane self-fertile almond as a flagship), VigorClone clonal pistachio rootstocks, clonal walnut rootstocks, and the UberVine winegrape vine system (which is being discontinued after 2025).

The company's underlying technology is built around a state-of-the-art tissue culture laboratory (Dry Creek Laboratory) that produces millions of micropropagated starts annually, enabling clonal reproduction of superior plant genetics, virus elimination, and in-vitro selection for salt and drought stress tolerance. This laboratory capability underpins a 100% containerized production system designed to minimize soil-borne pathogen exposure and enable year-round delivery. Duarte holds multiple US Plant Patents covering proprietary clonal rootstocks and varieties, and validates performance through third-party UCCE Regional Variety Trials.

Duarte generates revenue through direct one-time sales of nursery stock to commercial permanent crop growers, distributed via a six-representative field sales team covering California's major growing regions, a toll-free phone line, and an inside sales email channel. The company also markets through annual industry events including Friends Day (1,000+ guests) and Yorizane Field Days. Customer relationships span individual commercial almond, pistachio, walnut, and winegrape growers as well as enterprise accounts including Blue Diamond Growers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with strategic partnerships with the Almond Board of California, UCCE, and the GEM Alliance reinforcing industry positioning.

Name

Duarte Nursery

Legal name

Duarte Nursery, Inc.

Website

https://duartenursery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Duarte Nursery is the largest US permanent crops nursery, producing containerized almond, pistachio, walnut, and winegrape nursery stock for commercial West Coast growers, anchored by proprietary clonal rootstocks and a tissue culture micropropagation laboratory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Permanent Crops Nursery

NAICS

Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nursery Stock & Propagule Production (Cuttings, Rootstocks, Grafts) (AFAGAIAO)

Keywords

• Permanent crops nursery
• Clonal rootstock production
• Fruit and nut trees
• Winegrape propagation
• Tissue culture micropropagation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hughson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nursery Tree and Vine Product Sales: Duarte Nursery generates revenue primarily through the direct sale of containerized fruit and nut trees, clonal rootstocks, and winegrape vines to commercial growers across the West Coast. Products include almond trees, pistachio rootstocks, walnut rootstocks, winegrape vines (UberVine, MagnumVine, MagnumVine LT, Big Pot Benchgraft), and specialty rootstocks.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Duarte Nursery is a family-owned permanent crops nursery in Hughson, California that grows and sells containerized almond, pistachio, walnut, and winegrape nursery stock for commercial growers across the U.S. West Coast. The company operates the Dry Creek Laboratory, which produces clonal rootstocks via micropropagation, virus elimination, and in-vitro stress-tolerance selection. Core sellable lines include the Yorizane self-fertile almond, VigorClone pistachio rootstocks, clonal walnut rootstocks, and UberVine/MagnumVine winegrape vine systems.

Product overview

Duarte Nursery is a family-owned permanent crops nursery offering a comprehensive portfolio of agricultural products centered around clonal rootstocks and advanced nursery technologies. Core offerings include almond varieties (with flagship Yorizane 'The Gold Nut' released by USDA in 2021), VigorClone pistachio rootstocks showing 30% yield improvement, clonal walnut rootstocks (Vlach, VX211, RX1), and winegrape vine systems (UberVine 36", MagnumVine 24", MagnumVine LT 16"). The company provides 100% containerized production for all products and operates a state-of-the-art tissue culture laboratory (Dry Creek Laboratory) for micropropagation of clonal rootstocks. Products also include various almond rootstocks (Bright's Hybrid 5, Hansen 536, Crimea AP-1, Viking, Nemaguard), multiple winegrape rootstocks, and additional almond varieties. The nursery integrates containerized growing technology with clonal propagation to deliver clean plants with extended planting seasons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yorizane (The Gold Nut™): Self-fertile almond variety released by USDA in January 2021, known for high yield, royalty-free status, and golden kernel color.
• UberVine®
• MagnumVine®
• MagnumVine® LT
• VigorClone®
• Dry Creek Laboratory

Products and services

• Yorizane Almond (The Gold Nut™) Self-fertile almond variety released by the USDA in January 2021, featuring high yield efficiency, butterfly hull for easy harvesting, large kernels with 67% crack-out, and royalty-free licensing. Sold to commercial almond growers in California.
• VigorClone® Pistachio Rootstock High-vigor clonal pistachio rootstock selections (D110, D71, V211, V214) developed from UCB-1 seedlings, offering 30% higher yields than UCB-1 seedling rootstock with verticillium and salt tolerance. Sold to commercial pistachio growers.
• Clonal Walnut Rootstocks Clonal walnut rootstocks (Vlach, VX211, RX1) providing higher production, larger trees, Phytophthora and nematode resistance, increased disease tolerance, and better uniformity than seedling rootstocks. Sold to commercial walnut growers.
• UberVine® 36-inch tall super winegrape vine that reduces labor and production costs within the first three years of planting, generating a $6,320 revenue increase per acre compared to standard vines; over 7 million vines sold to West Coast winegrape growers.
• MagnumVine® 24-inch tall winegrape vine allowing deeper ground planting to avoid scion rooting, designed for cooler climate vineyards with smaller trellising and size constraints. Sold to commercial winegrape growers.
• MagnumVine® LT 16-inch winegrape vine option for growers seeking smaller vines with reduced labor costs, requiring fewer training passes than standard 12-inch vines. Sold to commercial winegrape growers.
• Almond Rootstocks Clonally produced almond rootstocks including Bright's Hybrid 5, Hansen 536, Crimea AP-1, Viking, and Nemaguard, offering specific advantages for vigor, yield efficiency, nematode resistance, and soil adaptability (salinity, alkalinity, boron tolerance). Sold to commercial almond growers.
• Almond Varieties Complete selection of almond scion varieties including Nonpareil, Aldrich, Butte, Carmel, Fritz, Monterey, Padre, Price, Sonora, Wood Colony, Winters, and Parpareil, ranging from pollinizers to self-fertile varieties with varying harvest timing and nut characteristics. Sold to commercial almond growers.
• Winegrape Rootstocks Available winegrape rootstocks including 5BB, 420A, St. George, 039-16, 44-53MG, Kingfisher, 101-14MG, 5C, Matador, 10-17A, 8B, Minotaur, 1103P, 99R, Riparia Gloire, 110R, Freedom, 125AA, RS-3, 140R, S04, 1616C, Salt Creek, 3309C, and Schwarzmann. Sold to commercial winegrape growers.

Quantifiable outcome

• VigorClone pistachio rootstock delivers 30% higher yields vs UCB-1 seedling rootstock
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Friends Day Sponsors (Salida Ag, D&V Unlimited, American Almond, G3 Enterprises, TEP, Borrell, Farm Legacy, Plant Food Systems)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Annual Friends Day event sponsors include Salida Ag, D&V Unlimited, American Almond, G3 Enterprises, TEP, Borrell, Farm Legacy, and Plant Food Systems. These ag industry companies support the event in exchange for brand visibility at the trade show.
• Almond Board of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Duarte Nursery collaborates with the Almond Board of California on the Regional Variety Trial program, hosting trials at Duarte Dewitt Ranch and participating in ABC Crack-Out Day events. The Yorizane variety was validated through ABC-supported 3rd and 4th generation Regional Variety Trials. The company participates in ABC-sponsored research and industry events.
• University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Duarte Nursery hosts UCCE Regional Variety Trials at its Duarte Dewitt Ranch property in Stanislaus County. Farm advisor Roger Duncan designs and oversees trials for almond varieties including Yorizane. Research results are published by UCCE researchers and inform grower recommendations.
• GEM Alliance (Genetics, Environment, and Management)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Duarte Nursery participates in GEM Alliance field days at the Dewitt Ranch, collaborating with industry and academic experts to educate growers on Genetics, Environment, and Management in orchards.
• Blue Diamond GrowerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Blue Diamond Growers leadership team visited Duarte Nursery for a tour showcasing research, innovation, and teamwork. As one of California's largest almond cooperatives, Blue Diamond represents a significant customer and industry partner for Duarte Nursery.
• Almond Board of AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Almond Board of Australia representatives visited Duarte Nursery for a tour, exchanging perspectives on almond growing systems between the Australian and California almond industries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dave Wilson Nursery: Dave Wilson Nursery is a major California wholesale nursery specializing in fruit, nut, and shade trees for commercial growers and home gardeners. Directly comparable as a permanent crops nursery with a broad variety portfolio and West Coast grower customer base.
• Burchell Nursery: Burchell Nursery is one of the largest wholesale fruit and nut tree nurseries in the US, based in Oakdale, CA. Directly comparable to Duarte in target customer (commercial orchardists), product mix (almonds, walnuts, stone fruit), and California Central Valley distribution model.
• L.E. Cooke Co: L.E. Cooke Co is a Visalia, CA-based wholesale nursery producing fruit, nut, and shade trees. Directly comparable to Duarte as a California permanent crops nursery serving almond, stone fruit, and nut growers with similar distribution model.
• Fowler Nurseries: Fowler Nurseries is a Newcastle, CA-based wholesale nursery specializing in almond, stone fruit, and walnut trees on clonal rootstocks. Directly comparable to Duarte in target crops, customer base (commercial California growers), and product positioning around disease-resistant clonal rootstock technology.
• Sierra Gold Nurseries: Sierra Gold Nurseries is a California-based wholesale nursery producing fruit, nut, and shade trees on clonal rootstocks. Directly comparable to Duarte as a permanent crops nursery serving almond, walnut, pistachio, and stone fruit growers in the Central Valley with field sales coverage.

Others

• Almond Board of California: Almond Board of California is the industry research and marketing body for California almond growers. Not a competitor, but a key industry partner of Duarte (Regional Variety Trials, Crack-Out Day events), validating Duarte's varieties and serving as a critical ecosystem participant in the same market.
• UC Davis Plant Sciences / UCCE: UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension develop and trial almond varieties and rootstocks that compete with or complement Duarte's proprietary genetics (e.g., Roger Duncan's Salida trials). Comparable as an industry R&D counterparty whose published variety performance data directly shapes Duarte's competitive positioning.

Emerging players

• Agromillora California: Agromillora is a global nursery company with California operations producing high-density olive, almond, and pistachio trees on clonal rootstocks. Comparable to Duarte's clonal rootstock approach and California permanent crop focus, with a broader international footprint and emerging emphasis on super-high-density systems.

Regional players

• TreeSource Citrus & Avocado Nursery: TreeSource is a California citrus and avocado nursery focused on containerized, clean-plant production. Comparable to Duarte's containerized, clean-plant approach but specialized in citrus/avocado rather than almonds/pistachios/walnuts; serves overlapping California grower base.

Broad incumbents

• Wonderful Orchards: Wonderful Orchards (part of The Wonderful Company) is one of the world's largest almond and pistachio growers, vertically integrated from nursery sourcing through processing. Comparable as a major California permanent crop grower that purchases nursery stock, but operates on a much larger integrated scale rather than as a pure nursery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/duartenurseryinc
• Xx.com/DuarteNursery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duarte-nursery-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Duarte Nursery