Mikado Kyowa Seed
Mikado Kyowa Seed (Vilmorin Mikado Japan) is a Japanese vegetable seed breeder and subsidiary of the global Vilmorin-Mikado group (Limagrain), developing and selling proprietary carrot, cabbage, onion, pea, kabocha, tomato, and sweet corn varieties to professional growers, distributors, and processors across Japan.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersChiba, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Mikado Kyowa Seed does
Mikado Kyowa Seed, operating commercially as Vilmorin Mikado Japan (ヴィルモランみかど), is a Japanese vegetable seed company and the Japanese subsidiary of the global Vilmorin-Mikado seed group, which is itself controlled by the French agricultural cooperative Limagrain. The company develops, produces, and markets proprietary vegetable seed varieties across seven core crop categories — carrot, cabbage, bunching onion, pea, kabocha, tomato (including the Urutoma® mini-tomato series), and sweet corn — with additional named offerings in broccoli and leaf lettuce. Its underlying technology platform is built on approximately 300 years of accumulated plant breeding experience within the Vilmorin-Mikado group, supported by 50 research facilities worldwide and an R&D reinvestment rate of 17% of sales, with one-third of total employees working in research roles.
The business sells proprietary seed varieties primarily through B2B channels: direct sales to professional vegetable producers, seed sales companies/distributors, cultivation and processing companies, and a network of retail stores located via the company website. Go-to-market is supplemented by event participation (notably sponsorship of the Nippon Produce Festival), content marketing through YouTube cultivation guides, social media engagement on Instagram, and paid advertising in the Japan Agricultural Newspaper. Target customers are commercial Japanese vegetable growers and the downstream food processing value chain, with breeding emphasis on disease resistance (e.g., TY virus-resistant tomatoes), shelf life, flavor, and ease of cultivation.
Recent activity has focused on extending the product portfolio — including the 2024 launches of the 'Kuri Yutaka DX' kabocha and 'Red Barbarian' lettuce, the 2024 launch of the Urutoma® mini-tomato sub-brand, the 2025 MAFF Minister's Award for green onion variety 'MKS-N40', the 2026 Japan Food Selection Gold Award for 'Uru TOMA TY Miwa-ku', and an announced expansion of the sweet corn business in mid-2026. The company has no public funding history, no disclosed revenue figures, and no evidence of AI/ML capability in the source material.
Mikado Kyowa Seed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mikado Kyowa Seed
- Legal name
- Vilmorin Mikado Japan (ヴィルモランみかど)
- Website
- https://mikadokyowa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Mikado Kyowa Seed (Vilmorin Mikado Japan) is a Japanese vegetable seed breeder and subsidiary of the global Vilmorin-Mikado group (Limagrain), developing and selling proprietary carrot, cabbage, onion, pea, kabocha, tomato, and sweet corn varieties to professional growers, distributors, and processors across Japan.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mikado Kyowa Seed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vegetable Seeds
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vegetable Seeds (Open-Pollinated & Hybrid) (AFABAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF), Open-Pollinated/Varietal Seed Multiplication (AFAGAIAE)
Keywords
Where Mikado Kyowa Seed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chiba
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Mikado Kyowa Seed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Seed Product Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of proprietary vegetable seed varieties to producers, seed distributors, cultivation companies, processing companies, and retail stores across Japan and internationally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | B2B seed sales to professional growers and distributors |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mikado Kyowa Seed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mikado Kyowa Seed develops, produces, and markets proprietary vegetable seed varieties for professional vegetable growers in Japan. Its portfolio spans carrots, cabbage, bunching onions, peas, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), tomatoes (including the Urutoma® mini tomato sub-brand), sweet corn, broccoli, and lettuce, with named varieties such as Urutoma® TY Miwa-ku, MKS-N40, Kuri Yutaka DX, and Red Barbarian developed for traits like disease resistance, shelf life, flavor, and processing suitability.
Product overview
Vilmorin Mikado Japan operates as a vegetable seed company under the Vilmorin-Mikado global group, delivering seed varieties that meet expectations across the entire food chain from production to consumption. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of vegetable seed products across seven core categories: Carrot, Cabbage, Bunching Onion (including award-winning MKS-N40), Pea, Kabocha, Tomato (including the Urutoma® series mini tomatoes), and Sweet Corn. Each category contains multiple named varieties such as 'Kuri Yutaka DX' for kabocha, 'Natsu no Hōzan' for white bunching onion, and 'Red Barbarian' for lettuce, with varieties developed for specific market segments and growing conditions. The company invests approximately 17% of sales in research and development, maintaining 50 research facilities globally with one-third of employees in research roles, and draws on approximately three centuries of variety development experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vilmorin-Mikado: Global vegetable seed brand under which the company operates internationally
Products and services
- Carrot Seeds (ニンジン)
Quantifiable outcome
- Development of numerous award-winning vegetable varieties including MAFF Minister's Award for green onion variety MKS-N40, and Japan Food Selection Gold Award for mini tomato variety Uru TOMA TY Miwa-ku
Companies that use Mikado Kyowa Seed
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mikado Kyowa Seed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Mikado Kyowa Seed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- LimagraincoreLimagrain is the parent company of Vilmorin-Mikado group. Vilmorin Mikado Japan operates as the Japanese subsidiary of the global seed group. The parent company logo appears on the Japanese website footer, and the global Vilmorin-Mikado website is referenced as the center of research innovation.
- Japan Agricultural Seed Trade Association (JASTA / 日本種苗協会)coreJASTA is the primary industry association for seed companies in Japan. Vilmorin Mikado Japan's association with JASTA indicates participation in industry standards, regulatory compliance, and collective industry advocacy for the Japanese seed sector.
- Vilmorin-Mikado Global NetworkcoreVilmorin-Mikado operates as a global group with subsidiaries and offices in 15+ countries including Brazil, China, France, Spain, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Turkey, and USA. The Japan entity benefits from shared research capabilities, variety development, and global best practices across the network.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mikado Kyowa Seed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sakata Seed Corporation: Japanese-headquartered global vegetable and flower seed breeder with overlapping product categories (cabbage, tomato, sweet corn, watermelon). Closest direct competitor for Vilmorin Mikado Japan in the Japanese professional grower market.
- Takii & Co., Ltd. Long-established Japanese vegetable and flower seed breeder with parallel product lines in cabbage, tomato, and root vegetables. Direct domestic competitor serving the same Japanese professional grower segment.
- Rijk Zwaan: Dutch cooperative vegetable seed breeder with global presence and similar category breadth. Directly comparable business model focused on proprietary variety development for professional vegetable production.
- Bejo Zaden: Dutch family-owned vegetable seed company breeding varieties across onions, cabbage, carrots, and beets. Closely comparable mid-sized specialist with similar breeding-led model.
- Enza Zaden: Dutch vegetable seed breeding company active across similar categories (tomato, cabbage, onion, lettuce). Direct global peer in proprietary vegetable variety development for professional growers.
Broad incumbents
- Bayer Crop Science (Vegetable Seeds): Global agriculture major with a vegetable seeds division (formerly Monsanto/Seminis) competing across major categories. Overlaps with Vilmorin Mikado Japan in tomato, cabbage, and melon but as part of a broader crop protection and seed portfolio.
- Syngenta (Vegetable Seeds): Global agrochemical and seed company with a vegetable seeds business serving overlapping categories. Competes with Vilmorin Mikado Japan in Japanese and broader Asian vegetable markets through its global portfolio.
- BASF | Nunhems Vegetable Seeds: BASF's vegetable seeds brand offering varieties in tomato, onion, melon, and cucurbits. Direct category overlap with Vilmorin Mikado Japan as part of a larger global chemical and seed enterprise.
Emerging players
- East-West Seed: Tropical-focused vegetable seed company serving smallholder growers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Comparable breeding business model with narrower geographic overlap, increasingly active in Asian markets.
Regional players
- Known-You Seed: Taiwan-based tropical and subtropical vegetable seed breeder with strong Asian distribution. Comparable in product category but serves different climate zones than Vilmorin Mikado Japan's Japanese-focused portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mikado Kyowa Seed social profiles
Digital presenceMikado Kyowa Seed compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Mikado Kyowa Seed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mikado Kyowa Seed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Mikado Kyowa Seed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mikado Kyowa Seed 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 Mikado Kyowa Seed
What does Mikado Kyowa Seed do?
Mikado Kyowa Seed develops, produces, and markets proprietary vegetable seed varieties for professional vegetable growers in Japan. Its portfolio spans carrots, cabbage, bunching onions, peas, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), tomatoes (including the Urutoma® mini tomato sub-brand), sweet corn, broccoli, and lettuce, with named varieties such as Urutoma® TY Miwa-ku, MKS-N40, Kuri Yutaka DX, and Red Barbarian developed for traits like disease resistance, shelf life, flavor, and processing suitability.
Is Mikado Kyowa Seed a public or private company?
Mikado Kyowa Seed is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Mikado Kyowa Seed founded?
Mikado Kyowa Seed was founded in 2007.
Where is Mikado Kyowa Seed based?
Mikado Kyowa Seed is headquartered in Chiba, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Mikado Kyowa Seed make money?
One revenue line is on record: seed Product Sales.
Who are Mikado Kyowa Seed's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sakata Seed Corporation, Takii & Co., Ltd., Rijk Zwaan, Bejo Zaden and Enza Zaden. Broad incumbents are Bayer Crop Science (Vegetable Seeds), Syngenta (Vegetable Seeds) and BASF | Nunhems Vegetable Seeds. East-West Seed is listed as an emerging player. Known-You Seed is listed as a regional player.
Does Mikado Kyowa Seed have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mikado Kyowa Seed.
What industry is Mikado Kyowa Seed in?
Mikado Kyowa Seed's product category is Vegetable Seeds. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABAFAE, Vegetable Seeds (Open-Pollinated & Hybrid), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAF, Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional). Its SIC code is 100.