Crites Seed
Crites Seed is a private, 1933-founded vegetable seed breeder and producer that develops proprietary processing pea, snap bean, sweet corn, and pulse varieties for commercial food processors and international distribution partners across the US, UK, EU, and Oceania.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1933
- HeadquartersMoscow, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Crites Seed does
Crites Seed, Inc. is a private vegetable seed breeding and production company founded in 1933 as Crites-Moscow Growers, Inc., a cooperative of Palouse-region growers, and restructured as a C corporation in 2008. Headquartered in Moscow, Idaho, the company develops proprietary varieties of processing peas, snap beans, sweet corn, and pulses (dry peas, lentils, chickpeas) for commercial food processors and fresh-market growers. Its breeding program is anchored in the Palouse and Columbia Basin growing regions and accelerated through counter-season production in New Zealand and two- and three-generation annual greenhouse increases; precision is enhanced via genetic marker technology used in collaboration with German seed partner Strube D&S GmbH, and seed quality is controlled by Sortex and Cimbria electronic sorters installed at the Quincy, Washington and Moscow facilities. The company makes money primarily through one-time seed sales to commercial growers and processors and through licensing royalties paid by exclusive international distribution partners — Elsoms Seeds (UK), Strube D&S GmbH (continental EU), Townsend Seeds International (NZ, Australia, South Africa, North Africa, Pakistan, India), and Pop Vriend Seeds (North America). It operates three US locations (Moscow, ID; Quincy, WA; Twin Falls, ID) and supports partnerships with Magic Seed, ProGene Plant Research, Plant Research (NZ), Snowy River Seeds, and KWS Vegetables. Crites markets through a sales-led model using field representatives and direct processor relationships, supplemented by a corporate website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Crites Seed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crites Seed
- Legal name
- Crites Seed, Inc.
- Website
- https://critesseed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1933
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Crites Seed is a private, 1933-founded vegetable seed breeder and producer that develops proprietary processing pea, snap bean, sweet corn, and pulse varieties for commercial food processors and international distribution partners across the US, UK, EU, and Oceania.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crites Seed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vegetable Seed Production and Breeding
- NAICS
- Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seed Production & Multiplication (Contract Growing, Foundation/Certified Seed) (AFABAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF), Seed Conditioning & Processing (Cleaning, Grading, Treating) (AFAGAIAH), Seed Distribution & Wholesale (Channel Sales) (AFAGAIAM)
Keywords
Where Crites Seed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Moscow
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Crites Seed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Seed Sales: Primary revenue from breeding, producing, and selling vegetable seed varieties including processing peas, snap beans, sweet corn, and pulses (dry peas, lentils, chickpeas). Seeds are sold to commercial growers and processors.
- Licensing Royalties: Revenue from granting exclusive distribution and production rights to international partners such as Elsoms Seeds (UK), Townsend Seeds (New Zealand/Australia), and Strube D&S GmbH (EU).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Crites Seed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crites Seed breeds, produces, and sells proprietary vegetable seed varieties—primarily processing peas, snap beans, sweet corn, and pulses—for commercial food processors (canners and freezers) and fresh market growers. The company leverages 85+ years of plant breeding, counter-season production in New Zealand, and partnerships with complementary breeders (ProGene, Pop Vriend, Magic Seed, Snowy River) to supply seed domestically and through exclusive international distributors.
Product overview
Crites Seed is a seed breeding and production company specializing in vegetable seed lines for the processing industry. The company offers four core product categories: Processing Peas (canner and freezer varieties including Superlaska and Scout), Snap Bean varieties (developed with Pop Vriend Seeds and Magic Seed focusing on large-sieve lines), Sweet Corn (via Snowy River Seeds partnership), and Pulses (dry edible peas, lentils, and chickpeas including winter pea varieties from ProGene). The products are supported by research facilities in Moscow, Idaho, and production sites in Washington State, with a focus on developing superior seed lines through traditional breeding methods complemented by genetic marker technology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Processing Peas Proprietary canning and freezer pea seed varieties developed for the commercial processing industry, including flagship Superlaska (1937) and Scout freezer pea lines acquired via Western Valley Seed Co. in 1975. Sold to commercial food processors (canners and freezers).
- Snap Bean Seed Snap bean seed varieties developed in partnership with Pop Vriend Seeds (Netherlands) and Magic Seed Inc., focused on large-sieve lines for the commercial processing market. Sold to commercial food processors and growers.
- Sweet Corn Seed Sweet corn seed varieties developed through the alliance with Snowy River Seeds (Australian corn breeder), including the Prelude variety which became predominant in the Northwest processing market. Sold to commercial food processors.
- Pulses Dry edible peas, lentils, and chickpeas including winter pea varieties developed in partnership with ProGene Plant Research (Ariel, Aragorn, Banner varieties via Plant Research NZ). Includes stock seed maintenance and custom conditioning services for the pulse crop market.
Companies that use Crites Seed
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Crites Seed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Crites Seed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Magic Seed Inc.coreAlliance with Magic Seed, founded by legendary plant breeder Calvin Lamborn (father of snap pea). Crites acquired exclusive distribution rights to Magic Seed genetics for global processing market and fresh markets of Australia and New Zealand.
- Strube D&S GmbHcoreOriginally Strube GmbH (renamed 2018), a European seed pioneer founded in 1877. Granted exclusive distribution and production rights to Crites vining pea varieties for continental EU. Also collaborates on genetic marker technology.
- Elsoms SeedscoreAlliance grants Elsoms, the UK's leading independent seed specialist and plant breeder, exclusive rights to distribute and produce Crites varieties in the UK.
- Townsend Seeds International Ltd.coreDistribution agreement granting Townsend exclusive sales rights to Crites garden pea varieties in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, North Africa, Pakistan and India. Townsend also serves as integral part of Crites supply chain offering counter-season production capability.
- ProGene Plant ResearchcoreWorking agreement to handle ProGene's dry edible pea stock seed for Pacific Northwest, later expanded to supply commercial seed throughout the US. In 2002 began cooperating on research. Expanded partnership in 2018 with joint chickpea breeding program; ProGene's pulse breeding team established base at Crites's Moscow Research Center.
- Plant Research (NZ) Ltd.supportingProGene's breeding partner based in Canterbury, New Zealand. Part of the Crites-ProGene alliance collaborating to bring high quality dry green pea varieties (Ariel, Aragorn, Banner) to the world food market.
- Snowy River SeedssupportingAustralian corn seed breeder. Alliance to market sweet corn varieties; Snowy River wished to expand US market while Crites wanted to augment product line. Partnership produced Prelude variety which became predominant sugary sweet corn genotype in Northwest processing market by 2010.
- Pop Vriend SeedscoreLeading Dutch vegetable seed breeder, producer, and wholesaler. Crites acquired exclusive North American marketing rights for Pop Vriend snap bean varieties. Later expanded to include production of Pop Vriend bean varieties.
- Royal SluissupportingMarketing agreement with prominent Dutch vegetable seed company founded in 1868. Royal Sluis represented selected Crites varieties in England and on the Continent to help build European sales.
- KWS VegetablessupportingKWS Vegetables shown as affiliate partner on company links page, with focus on beans. KWS is a major vegetable seed company.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Crites Seed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Syngenta: Global agricultural input giant (owned by ChemChina/Sinochem) with a major vegetable seeds division (Syngenta Vegetable Seeds). Direct overlap with Crites in peas, beans, sweet corn, and pulses, but at vastly greater scale and with integrated crop protection portfolios.
- Bayer Crop Science: Post-Monsanto acquisition, Bayer operates one of the world's largest vegetable seed businesses (including legacy Seminis). Competes with Crites across multiple vegetable categories globally, with materially greater R&D and distribution resources.
- Corteva Agriscience: Global seed company with a vegetable seeds portfolio (formerly Dow AgroSciences/Pioneer). Overlaps with Crites in sweet corn and peas and competes for processor customers with significantly broader trait stacks and global reach.
- BASF Agricultural Solutions: Major agricultural inputs player that acquired Bayer's vegetable seeds business. Competes with Crites in vegetable seed categories globally and has the scale to bundle seeds with crop protection offerings.
Direct peers
- Rijk Zwaan: Dutch family-owned vegetable seed breeder with global distribution; one of the largest independent vegetable seed specialists. Direct competitor to Crites in peas, beans, and pulses, with overlapping customer base of commercial processors.
- Enza Zaden: Independent Dutch vegetable seed breeder with worldwide operations. Directly comparable to Crites in vegetable seed categories including peas, beans, and sweet corn, serving commercial growers and processors.
- Bejo Zaden: Dutch family-owned vegetable seed specialist active in over 100 countries. Direct competitor across multiple vegetable categories Crites serves, particularly peas, beans, and sweet corn, with comparable specialization focus.
- Vilmorin-Mikado (Limagrain): Vegetable seed division of French cooperative Limagrain, one of the world's largest vegetable seed companies. Overlaps with Crites in processing peas, snap beans, and sweet corn globally, including in North American processing markets.
- KWS Vegetables: Vegetable seed arm of KWS SAAT, focused on spinach, beans, beets, and other crops. Direct competitor in beans (one of Crites's core categories) and listed by Crites as an affiliate partner — the two companies have an explicit commercial relationship in the same product category.
- Strube D&S GmbH: German sugar beet and vegetable seed pioneer (founded 1877) and Crites's exclusive EU distribution partner for vining peas. Direct competitor in pea breeding globally and a collaborator on genetic marker technology, making it both partner and peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Crites Seed social profiles
Digital presenceCrites Seed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crites Seed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Crites Seed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crites 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 Crites Seed
What does Crites Seed do?
Crites Seed breeds, produces, and sells proprietary vegetable seed varieties—primarily processing peas, snap beans, sweet corn, and pulses—for commercial food processors (canners and freezers) and fresh market growers. The company leverages 85+ years of plant breeding, counter-season production in New Zealand, and partnerships with complementary breeders (ProGene, Pop Vriend, Magic Seed, Snowy River) to supply seed domestically and through exclusive international distributors.
Is Crites Seed a public or private company?
Crites Seed is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Crites Seed founded?
Crites Seed was founded in 1933.
Where is Crites Seed based?
Crites Seed is headquartered in Moscow, United States, in the North America region.
How does Crites Seed make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Seed Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensing Royalties.
Who are Crites Seed's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Syngenta, Bayer Crop Science, Corteva Agriscience and BASF Agricultural Solutions. Direct peers are Rijk Zwaan, Enza Zaden, Bejo Zaden, Vilmorin-Mikado (Limagrain), KWS Vegetables and Strube D&S GmbH.
Does Crites Seed have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crites Seed.
What industry is Crites Seed in?
Crites Seed's product category is Vegetable Seed Production and Breeding. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABAFAK, Seed Production & Multiplication (Contract Growing, Foundation/Certified Seed), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAF, Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional). Its NAICS code is 1112 and its SIC code is 100.