Steppe Agroholding

What Steppe Agroholding does

Steppe Agroholding (АО Агрохолдинг «СТЕПЬ») is a Russian diversified agricultural holding headquartered in Rostov-on-Don and controlled by AFK Sistema. It operates five integrated business segments — crop production (wheat, sunflower, niche crops such as peas, chickpeas, lentils), dairy farming (Holstein cattle, #1 in Russia by per-cow yield at 41 L/day and 14,500 kg/year), intensive horticulture (751 ha of intensive apple orchards in Krasnodar Krai with 23,000-tonne cold storage capacity), grocery trading under its own brand (including a new line of alternative grains and in-house flour), and packaged cheese for HoReCa. The company's land bank totals 578,000 hectares across Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, and Stavropol Krai, placing it among Russia's top-4 landowners by Forbes. Revenue in 2025 was 57.7 billion RUB with 18.5 billion RUB EBITDA (32% margin), forecast to grow to 71.6 billion RUB in 2026.

STEP sells raw commodities and produce to federal retail chains (X5 Group, Magnit, Auchan, Lenta) and processors, exports niche crops (it is Russia's #1 pea exporter) to Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Italy, and distributes branded packaged groceries through Russian e-commerce marketplaces (Ozon, Wildberries, Yandex.Market, Sbermarket). It has also launched a CFA (Digital Financial Assets) issuance program through MTS Bank to access retail-investor capital.

Underlying the operations is a precision-agriculture technology stack: an AI-powered production forecasting and analysis system, a digital twin of agricultural fields, a "Story of the Field" cloud service aggregating satellite imagery, telematics, and weather data, autonomous agricultural machinery (KAMAZ trucks, GPS-guided combines/tractors using Trimble equipment), a drone flight management center, machine vision for field assessment, and proprietary Eco-Expert environmental monitoring software. Domestic tech partnerships (MTS for GNSS correction signals, Shchelkovo Agrokhim for wheat seed varieties, UMZ for soil injectors) and a startup accelerator for ag/food-tech round out the innovation model.

Name

Steppe Agroholding

Legal name

AO Agroholding STEP (АО Агрохолдинг «СТЕПЬ»)

Website

https://ahstep.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Steppe Agroholding is a Russian diversified agricultural holding (AFK Sistema subsidiary) operating 578,000 ha across southern Russia in crop production, dairy, horticulture, branded packaged groceries, and exports, with end-to-end AI-driven precision agriculture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodity Production

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Combination Farming (111191), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Mixed Cereal & Grain Farming (Multiple Grains) (AFAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural commodity production
• Crop cultivation services
• Dairy farming operations
• Intensive apple horticulture
• Grain elevator services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rostov-on-don

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Crop Production (Plant Growing): Production and sale of grain, oilseeds (sunflower), niche crops (peas, chickpeas, lentils, mustard, coriander, flax), and wheat. 1.8 million tonnes harvested in 2021; in top-8 land banks in Russia with 578,000 hectares. Major exporter of peas (88,000 tonnes exported in Q3 2021, #1 in Russia).
2. Dairy Animal Husbandry: Milk production from Holstein dairy cattle. #1 in Russia with 14,500 kg milk per cow annually, more than double the Russian average. Vast milk yield 87,100 tonnes in 2021 (+22% YoY). Daily yield per cow reached 41 liters. Sells milk to processors and produces packaged cheese for HoReCa.
3. Intensive Horticulture: Apple production from 751 hectares of intensive orchards in Krasnodar Krai. Harvest ~30,000 tonnes annually, 80% premium/first grade. Fruit storage capacity 23,000 tonnes for up to 11 months. Supplies federal retail chains (X5, Magnit, Auchan, Lenta) and baby food manufacturers.
4. Agricultural Trading / Grain Trading: Trading of agricultural commodities including niche crops, sugar, and grocery products. Subsidiary TD Investprom-Opt handles sugar, groceries, and fruits. Active export operations for niche crops (peas, chickpeas) to Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Italy. Also domestic wholesale.
5. Branded Grocery Products: Production and sale of packaged groceries (cereals, snacks, alternative grains, flour) under proprietary brand via retail chains and e-commerce. New product lines include bulgur, couscous, quinoa, chickpeas, spelt, lentils, green buckwheat. 21% of grocery revenue from e-commerce.
6. Elevator Services: Grain storage and elevator services supporting the trading and export operations.
7. Freight Transportation: Cargo transportation services including grain trucks, refrigerated vehicles, and tarpaulins via own accredited carrier fleet.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Steppe Agroholding is a vertically integrated agricultural producer and trader operating crop farming (grain, oilseeds, niche crops), dairy farming (raw milk), intensive horticulture (apples), branded grocery products, elevator/grain trading, and cargo transportation services. Its output is sold to federal Russian retail chains, processors, HoReCa operators, exporters, and e-commerce marketplaces, with technology-enabled precision agriculture supporting production.

Product overview

Агрохолдинг «СТЕПЬ» is a diversified agricultural holding operating across five core business segments: Crop Production (растениеводство), Dairy Farming (молочное животноводство), Bakery & Grocery Trading (бакалея), Intensive Horticulture / Fruit Growing (садоводство), and Packaged Cheese & Food Production. The holding's product portfolio spans raw agricultural commodities (grain, niche crops, milk, apples), processed foods (packaged cheeses, flour, cereals, alternative side dishes), and value-added services (freight logistics, elevator services, land transaction facilitation). Its digital infrastructure includes a Supplier Portal (cabinet.ahstep.ru) based on 1С enterprise software, a Transporter Portal (transporter.ahstep.ru) for fleet management and accreditation, and a suite of precision agriculture technologies including the 'Story of the Field' (История поля) cloud service, the 'Production Forecasting and Analysis System' (Система прогнозирования и анализа производства) with AI, autonomous agricultural machinery (drones, combines, tractors), machine vision field assessment, digital field twins, and telematics for a fleet exceeding 3,000 vehicles. The holding also offers Digital Financial Assets (ЦФА) as an investment product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crop production (grain, oilseeds, niche crops)

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue growth of 74% YoY in 2021, reaching 57.2 billion ₽
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability14 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shchelkovo Agrokhim (Щелково Агрохим)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint development of high-yield winter wheat variety 'Sistema' with yield exceeding 100 cwt/ha. Plans to develop 5 more wheat varieties and 3 soybean varieties by 2025. Also collaboration on plant protection products.
• MTS (ПАО МТС)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Joint development and deployment of domestic correction signal for autopilot systems on agricultural machinery, replacing foreign GNSS systems. STEP's autonomous tractors and combines transitioned to MTS-based navigation.
• MTS StartUp HubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022STEP co-organized AltEnergy startup forum with MTS StartUp Hub as a platform partner. STEP creating an agricultural accelerator for startups in partnership with AFK Sistema ecosystem.
• Agroholding STEP AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022STEP is creating its own startup accelerator for agriculture and food production startups. Accepts MVP-stage projects and provides investment support, mentorship, testing infrastructure, and market access.
• FosAgro-Region (ФосАгро-Регион)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint project for soil agrochemical surveys. Soil samples collected with high-precision equipment analyzed in laboratories to develop fertilizer application recommendations.
• Don State Agrarian University (Донской государственный аграрный университет)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Academic partnership for developing afforestation project methodology. Scientists collaborated on forest belt design for soil protection and moisture retention.
• RB.RUminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organized AltEnergy speed-dating forum connecting agricultural and energy startups with investors including STEP, AFK Sistema, and MTS.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Sodrugestvo Group: Russian-origin, Europe-focused agro-industrial group with grain, oilseed processing, and animal feed operations. Comparable in scale, vertical integration, and positioning as a non-Russian-headquartered agribusiness with CIS/Eastern European reach.

Broad incumbents

• Bunge: Global agribusiness with grain origination, oilseed crushing, and food ingredients operations. Comparable business model to STEP's crop trading, oilseed sales (sunflower), and grain elevator services.
• Cargill: Global agricultural commodity trader and processor with significant Russian operations prior to scaling back. Relevant for STEP's grain trading, oilseed processing, and global export franchise positioning - sets the structural benchmark for integrated agribusiness models.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agricultural supply chain company with grain origination, oilseed processing, and food ingredients. Comparable to STEP's elevator services, oilseed/grain trading, and emerging flour/cereal processing business lines at much larger scale.
• Louis Dreyfus Company: Global commodity merchant with grain, oilseed, and freight operations. Comparable to STEP's commodity trading and freight transportation segments, particularly the niche crop export franchise.

Direct peers

• Rusagro: One of Russia's largest diversified agroholdings (sugar, oilseeds, crop production, meat) and the only other Russian agricultural company in the RAEX ESG ranking alongside STEP. Closest comparable in diversification, scale, and AFK-tier governance as a Russian listed agribusiness.
• Agrocomplex (Tkachev family): Large southern Russia agroholding operating grain, dairy, and retail food businesses including branded grocery chains. Directly comparable regional footprint (Krasnodar Krai) and crop + dairy + branded consumer products structure similar to STEP.
• Miratorg Agroholding: The largest landowner in Russia by far with comparable grain, livestock, and trading operations. Competes with STEP on land bank scale, federal retail supply, and vertically integrated agricultural production across multiple regions of Russia.
• Cherkizovo Group: Major Russian agroholding with grain, poultry, and meat operations supplying federal retail chains. Comparable in scale, B2B retail customer base (X5, Magnit), and integrated crop-to-consumer model.
• Aston Group: Major Russian agroholding with grain, oilseed processing, and agricultural trading operations including export. Comparable in terms of southern Russia operations, crop focus, export business, and trading house structure (TD Agrokultura-ST vs TD Investprom-Opt).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Steppe Agroholding