Cerience

What Cerience does

Cerience is a French agricultural seed company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Terrena cooperative, formed in July 2021 through the merger of Terrena's two seed entities, Jouffray-Drillaud and Terrena Semences. The company operates across three integrated business areas: Seeds (proprietary varieties in alfalfa, forage legumes, grasses, cover crops, and field crops; approximately 80% of legume varieties it supplies in Europe originate from its own genetics, making it the #1 European legume breeder); Solutions (biocontrol products such as Messager and Belvine, spray adjuvants, seed-applied technologies branded SAS (Solutions Appliqu\u00e9es aux Semences), inoculants, soil additives, and forage preservatives); and B2B industrial services (the 360 Seed Service platform, which processes over 55,000 tonnes of seeds annually for more than 110 seed company clients worldwide).

The company runs an industrial base comprising four production sites (Beaufort-en-Vall\u00e9e HQ, Ciss\u00e9, Vern d'Anjou, and the Dutch Scheemda site acquired via Vandinter Semo in 2024), two R&D stations (Saint-Sauvant and Vienne-en-Val), and two ISTA-certified laboratories. Its R&D engine spans 25+ breeders, 20,000 annual micro-plot trials, and roughly 7% of revenue reinvested, supported by long-standing partnerships with INRAE, IDELE, and the GIE GRASS consortium. The technology stack centres on proprietary seed coating/pelleting formulations, plant-defense-stimulator biocontrol chemistry (COS-OGA, ABE-IT 56), and domain-specialized variety development (e.g., nematicidal cover crops, ATRAKT early-flowering oilseed rape).

Cerience makes money through three revenue streams: (1) one-time sales of proprietary and distributed seed varieties to farmers and cooperatives (the primary channel being parent Terrena's 20,992-farmer network plus other agricultural merchants and cooperatives in France); (2) recurring sales of agricultural solutions (biocontrol, adjuvants, inoculants, preservatives) priced on a per-unit basis; and (3) professional-service contracts via 360 Seed Service, where the company charges seed breeders for industrial processing, seed-applied technology application, and supply-chain management. GTM combines an enterprise field-sales force of technical advisors, direct account management for the 110+ global B2B clients, and event-driven demand generation through field trials, expert poles across five French wine regions, and trade-show participation. Geographic reach is concentrated in France and Benelux, with the Dutch Vandinter Semo acquisition extending distribution into the Netherlands and selected international B2B accounts.

Name

Cerience

Legal name

Cérience

Website

https://cerience.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cerience is a French agricultural seed company (Terrena subsidiary) that breeds and produces proprietary forage, alfalfa, and cover-crop seeds, markets biocontrol and seed-applied technology solutions, and runs the 360 Seed Service B2B platform serving 110+ seed-company clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seed Production

NAICS

Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

Forage & Pasture Seeds (Alfalfa, Clover, Ryegrass, Bermudagrass) (AFABAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crop Spraying & Chemical Application Services (Ground Rig) (AFACAAAB), Solanaceous Vegetable Farming (Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant) (AFAGADAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural seed production
• Forage and cover crop seeds
• Biocontrol crop protection
• Seed applied technologies
• B2B seed services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cissé

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Seed sales (own varieties and distributed): Cérience sells its own bred seeds (forage, alfalfa, cover crops, field crops) and distributes third-party varieties through agricultural distribution networks and cooperatives. Near 80% of varieties produced are from Cérience's own breeding programs.
2. Agricultural solutions (biocontrol, adjuvants, inoculants, forage preservatives): Cérience develops and commercializes bio-intrant products including biocontrol agents, spray adjuvants, soil additives, seed inoculants, and silage preservatives. Products are sold to farmers and cooperatives through the same distribution channels.
3. 360 Seed Service - B2B seed production and industrial services: B2B service offering for seed breeders and companies worldwide. Covers seed multiplication, industrial processing (sorting, calibration, disinfection, treatment, conditioning), seed technologies application, and supply chain/logistics. More than 110 clients globally, processing 55,000 tonnes of seeds annually in B2B prestaton.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cerience breeds, produces and commercializes agricultural seeds (forage legumes and grasses, alfalfa, cover crops, field crops) and distributes agricultural solutions (biocontrol agents, spray adjuvants, soil additives, SAS seed coating technologies, rhizobium inoculants, and forage preservatives). It also offers B2B industrial services through its 360 Seed Service platform for seed multiplication, processing and supply chain management, serving 110+ seed companies globally with 55,000 tonnes of seed processed annually.

Product overview

Cérience operates as an agricultural seed and solutions company with three complementary business areas: Seeds (forage crops including alfalfa, grassland mixtures, cover crops, field crops, and organic seeds), Solutions (biocontrol products, spray adjuvants, soil additives, seed technologies, inoculants, and forage preservatives), and B2B Services (360 Seed Service offering comprehensive seed production, industrial processing, seed technologies, and supply chain management). The company also provides Decision Support Tools (OAD) including myLuzerne, myChlorofiltre, and HappyGrass for monitoring and optimizing agricultural practices. The portfolio includes proprietary brands such as SiloKing for forage conservation, the SAS (Solutions Appliquées aux Semences) seed technology line, CHLOROFILTRE cover crop mixtures, and M-les-Mélanges forage mixtures, alongside biocontrol products like Belvine, Messager, and Mestar for vine and crop protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 360 Seed Service: B2B service offer for seed producers and breeders including seed production, industrial processing, seed technologies, and supply chain management.
• Chlorofiltre
• SAS FLY
• Silo-King
• Belvine
• M-les-Mélanges
• myLuzerne
• myChlorofiltre
• HappyGrass

Products and services

• Forage and alfalfa seeds

Quantifiable outcome

• Cérience invests nearly 7% of annual revenue in R&D
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEED IN TECHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Cérience acquired a majority stake in SEED IN TECH, a specialist in seed priming. This acquisition reinforces Cérience's position in seed technologies for seed companies and farmers, adding priming expertise to its SAS technology portfolio.
• Vandinter SemocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2024Cérience acquired the Dutch seed company Vandinter Semo, specialized in production and commercialization of forage seeds and cover crops. The acquisition strengthens Cérience's European market positions, particularly in the Netherlands and Benelux.
• FYTEKOcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 July 2022Exclusive European distribution agreement with Belgian biotech company Fyteko for the NURSEED HC biostimulant applied to forage grass and legume seeds. Fyteko develops advanced plant biostimulants focused on climate change adaptation.
• FrayssinetcoreTechnology or Integration · 13 July 2021Strategic partnership between Cérience and Frayssinet (manufacturer of organic fertilizers and biostimulants) for the marketing of biostimulants in seed technology applications (techno-semences). Frayssinet provides organic fertilizer and biostimulant formulations applied to seeds.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with INRAE on public agricultural research. Cérience participates in collaborative R&D programs including the Praise project for forage mixture breeding with INRAE.
• IDELE (Institut de l'Élevage)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with IDELE (French Livestock Institute) on applied research for livestock farming and forage production systems.
• GIE GRASScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroupement d'Intérêt Économique formed by 3 seed companies and 3 cooperatives for forage plant breeding (alfalfa, ryegrass, tall fescue, cocksfoot). Established in 1995, it has produced over 140 forage varieties through collaborative breeding programs.
• TerrenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent cooperative of Cérience, with 20,992 farmer members and 13,587 employees. Cérience is a strategic subsidiary in Terrena's Agriculture with Positive Impacts strategy (Terrena 2030). Terrena provides the primary distribution network for Cérience's products.
• InteragrominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK adjuvants supplier and distributor. As one of the first adjuvant suppliers in the UK with strong European presence, Interagro distributes Cérience's Cantor adjuvant product.
• FNAMS (Fédération Nationale des Agriculteurs Multiplicateurs de Semences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional agricultural organization specialized in seed production. FNAMS supports Cérience's farmer multiplier network with technical guidance.
• IBMA FranceminorOthersIBMA France promotes the use of biocontrol products and supports their development in the French market.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DLF Seeds: Danish-headquartered global leader in forage and turf seeds with extensive European production and breeding footprint. Closest peer by product mix, especially in alfalfa, clovers, and grasses, and a logical comparison point for European forage market share.
• Barenbrug: Dutch family-owned global leader in forage, turf, and cover crop seeds with strong European presence. Directly comparable in the forage/cover crop specialty where Cérience is the #1 European legume breeder.
• Lidea: French-headquartered seed company formed from the merger of Euralis Semences and Caussade Semences. Highly comparable as a multi-crop European seed breeder competing directly with Cérience across maize, sunflower, cereals, and forage, with similar distribution through cooperatives.
• Florimond Desprez: French independent family-owned seed breeder active in sugar beet, cereals, forages, and vegetables. Comparable as a privately-held French multi-species breeder with proprietary genetics and significant R&D investment.
• RAGT Semences: French seed breeder with broad multi-species coverage including cereals, maize, sorghum, forages, and cover crops. Comparable mid-sized European seed company with its own genetics, B2B activities, and similar customer base of cooperatives and merchants.

Broad incumbents

• Corteva Agriscience: Global seed and crop protection major with Pioneer and Brevant brands. Competes indirectly in cover crops, biologicals, and forage adjacencies, with vastly greater R&D and capital resources, but not focused on Cérience's specialty niches.
• KWS SAAT: German-headquartered global seed company focused on sugar beet, maize, cereals, and increasingly forages. A larger incumbent operating broadly across European agriculture with overlapping genetics and distribution, but not specialized in Cérience's biocontrol and 360 Seed Service niches.
• Bayer Crop Science: Global crop science leader with seeds, crop protection, and digital farming. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same value chain but operating at much larger scale across all major row crops and adjacencies including biologicals.
• Syngenta Group: Global agrochemical and seed major active across crop protection, seeds, and digital agriculture. Overlaps with Cérience in biocontrol, adjuvants, and digital agronomy tools but at a vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• BASF Agricultural Solutions: Global agricultural inputs major with strong seed and crop protection franchises, including biological solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent increasingly active in biocontrol and seed-applied technologies where Cérience competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cerience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerience
• Xx.com/cerience

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Cerience