vitroplant

What vitroplant does

Vitroplant Italia S.r.l. Società Agricola is an Italian agricultural biotechnology company founded in 1979 and headquartered in Cesena, with a secondary greenhouse facility in Gatteo. The company specializes in in-vitro micropropagation (tissue culture) of fruit, horticultural, medicinal, and forestry species, operating a vertically integrated production chain spanning a micropropagation laboratory (70 laminar flow hood positions, 9 crop rooms, 200,000 pot capacity), 30,000 m² of automated climate-controlled greenhouses with anti-insect protection and rainwater recovery, and a 130-hectare open-field nursery within a protected zone. Annual production capacity stands at approximately 28 million plants.

The company's product portfolio comprises three core categories — fruit plants (kiwi, stone fruits, pome fruits, berries, nuts, vines), virus-free clonal rootstocks, and self-rooted plants — alongside proprietary genetic assets including the Z1 ZedOne and D1 Vitroplant clonal rootstocks, Actinidia K, the P1 pollinator variety, and a portfolio of registered artichoke cultivars (VP80, Romanesco C3A Plus, Apollo, Exploter, Life, Ares). Vitroplant was the first company to introduce and distribute certified virus-free micropropagated rootstocks in Italy and pioneered self-rooted kiwi, pear, peach, apricot, and vine production. Proprietary substrate formulations and macro/micro-element mixes developed through in-house R&D underpin the production process, and a custom ON.Plant WMS/MES platform provides individual batch traceability.

The business operates as a B2B enterprise with direct field sales across Italy (five regional sales managers) and international markets (dedicated managers for France and Portugal), exporting 65% of production to 14+ countries including Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Romania, Hungary, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Chile, Israel, and South Africa. Joint-venture subsidiaries Vitroplant Tunisia and Vitroplant Algérie serve Mediterranean markets. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Vitroplant is part of the Orogel Agri-food System (cooperative consortium), holds UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 and UNI EN ISO 22005:2008 certifications, and complies with Italian and European Genetic-Health Certification regulations under CAV cooperative oversight. Customer segments span commercial nurseries, fruit and vegetable producers, and research institutions.

Name

vitroplant

Legal name

VITROPLANT ITALIA S.R.L. SOCIETÀ AGRICOLA

Website

https://vitroplant.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vitroplant Italia is an Italian agricultural biotechnology company founded in 1979 specializing in in-vitro micropropagation of certified virus-free fruit, horticultural, and forestry plants, supplying commercial nurseries and agricultural producers across 14+ countries through proprietary rootstocks and varieties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Nursery Production

NAICS

Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Tissue Culture & Micropropagation (Planting Material) (AFAGAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fruit & Nut Planting Stock (Rootstocks, Nursery Trees, Vines) (AFABAFAF)

Keywords

• Micropropagation services
• Fruit plant propagation
• Clonal rootstocks
• Certified virus-free plants
• Nursery production

Headquarters

HQ city

Cesena

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plant Material Sales: Core revenue from selling micropropagated fruit plants, rootstocks, and self-rooted plants. Products include kiwi, stone fruits, pome fruits, berries, artichokes, olives, nuts, vines, and forestry species. Distribution to nurseries and agricultural producers.
2. Certified Nursery Material: Sales of certified virus-free micropropagated rootstocks and varieties under National Genetic-Health Certification. Premium pricing for certified genetic material with health guarantees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vitroplant Italia produces certified virus-free fruit plants, clonal rootstocks, and self-rooted plants through in-vitro micropropagation (tissue culture) for sale to commercial nurseries and agricultural producers. The portfolio spans kiwi, stone fruits, pome fruits, berries, artichokes, olives, nuts, vines, and forestry species, including proprietary clonal varieties such as Z1® ZedOne®, D1 Vitroplant®, Actinidia K, and multiple artichoke cultivars. The company also provides micropropagation services and operates its own ON.PLANT WMS/MES platform for batch-level traceability.

Product overview

Vitroplant Italia is an agricultural company specializing in micropropagation (in-vitro plant multiplication) and nursery production. The company operates three integrated production areas: a micropropagation laboratory, greenhouses, and open-field nurseries. Their product portfolio consists of three core categories: Fruit Plants (seedlings for Kiwi/Actinidia, Apricot, Peach, Nectarine, Plum, Cherry, Pear, Almond, Walnut, Pistachio, and Olive), Rootstocks (virus-free clonal rootstocks for multiple fruit species), and Self-Rooted Plants (plants produced without grafting). Additionally, Vitroplant has developed proprietary varieties including Actinidia K, P1 pollinator, D1 clonal rootstock, Z1 ZedOne rootstock, and several artichoke varieties (Romanesco C3A Plus, Super-Romanesco Apollo, Exploter, Life, Ares, VP80). The company provides micropropagation services and utilizes their proprietary ON.Plant WMS/MES software for production management and traceability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Actinidia K: Proprietary Actinidia variety developed by Vitroplant through genetic improvement projects.
• P1 Pollinator
• D1 Clonal Rootstock
• Z1® (ZedOne®) Rootstock
• Romanesco C3A Plus
• Super-Romanesco Apollo®
• Exploter®
• Life®
• Ares®
• VP80®

Products and services

• Fruit Plants A comprehensive range of fruit tree seedlings including Kiwi/Actinidia, Apricot, Peach (Yellow, White, Flat), Nectarine (Yellow, White, Flat), European Plum, Cherry, Pear, Almond, Walnut, Pistachio, and Olive plants, produced via in-vitro micropropagation and sold to commercial nurseries and agricultural producers.
• Rootstocks Virus-free clonal rootstocks for various fruit species including Kiwi (Vip Zedone Z1, D1 Vitroplant), Stone Fruit (Mirabolano 29C, Mirared 1, GF677, Garnem, Cadaman), Cherry (Gisela 5, Gisela 6, MAXMA Delbard), Pear, Almond, Walnut, Pistachio, Apple, Chestnut, and Table Grapes. Sold to commercial nurseries and fruit growers.
• Self-Rooted Plants Self-rooted plant varieties including Kiwi Actinidia (Hayward varieties, Vip Green, Vip Red), Artichoke (Apollo, Ares, Exploter, Life, Romanesco), Pear, Walnut, Olive, Chestnut, Blueberry, and Ginger produced without grafting. Sold to commercial nurseries and fruit/vegetable producers.
• Micropropagation Services In-vitro plant multiplication service enabling rapid, large-scale propagation of plant species under sterile conditions, producing virus-free, genetically uniform seedlings from mother plants with guaranteed health profiles. Provided to commercial nurseries, agricultural producers, and research institutions.
• Z1® ZedOne® Rootstock Proprietary exclusive clonal rootstock developed by Vitroplant for kiwi (Actinidia) cultivation, sold as certified virus-free planting material to commercial nurseries and fruit growers.
• D1 Vitroplant® Clonal Rootstock Proprietary exclusive clonal rootstock developed by Vitroplant for kiwi and other fruit species, sold as certified virus-free planting material to commercial nurseries and fruit growers.
• Actinidia K Proprietary kiwi (Actinidia) variety developed through Vitroplant's genetic improvement projects, sold as certified planting material to commercial nurseries and fruit growers.
• P1 Pollinator Proprietary kiwi pollinator variety developed by Vitroplant for use with Actinidia crops, sold as certified planting material to commercial nurseries and kiwi growers.
• Romanesco C3A Plus Artichoke Proprietary select artichoke variety developed by Vitroplant, sold as certified self-rooted planting material to commercial nurseries and vegetable producers.
• Super-Romanesco Apollo® Artichoke Proprietary select artichoke variety developed by Vitroplant, sold as certified self-rooted planting material to commercial nurseries and vegetable producers.
• Exploter® Artichoke Proprietary select artichoke variety developed by Vitroplant, sold as certified self-rooted planting material to commercial nurseries and vegetable producers.
• Life® Artichoke Proprietary select artichoke variety developed by Vitroplant, sold as certified self-rooted planting material to commercial nurseries and vegetable producers.
• Ares® Artichoke Proprietary select artichoke variety developed by Vitroplant, sold as certified self-rooted planting material to commercial nurseries and vegetable producers.
• VP80® Artichoke Proprietary select artichoke variety developed by Vitroplant, sold as certified self-rooted planting material to commercial nurseries and vegetable producers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28,000,000 plants produced annually
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RESO Project ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership in PON RESO project (Resilience and Sustainability of Fruit and Vegetable and Cereals Food Supply Chains) with 01.01.2022-30.06.2024 duration. Includes Università degli Studi della Basilicata (coordinator), ALSIA, UNIBO, UNISA, UNIVR, UPM, APOFRUIT, BARILLA, and other agricultural partners. MIUR contribution: €109,200.
• New Kiwi PlantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive nursery partnership with New Kiwi Plant, acting as one of the exclusive nurseries for their kiwi varieties. Collaborates on agronomic improvement and new variety development for the global kiwi industry.
• CAV (Centro Attività Vivaistiche Società Cooperativa Agricola)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of CTV (Technological Nursery Centre) and part of the CAV cooperative for supply chain certification. Foundation plants are maintained in screen houses at CAV with regular biological and molecular testing. Food chain traceability system certified to UNI EN ISO 22005:2008.
• Italian and International UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with several Italian and international universities on agronomic improvement projects and resistance to various plant diseases, serving the global nursery industry.
• CRPV (Centro Ricerche Produzioni Vegetali)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in Orogel supply chain projects for technical development of cultivations and new species and varieties development including asparagus and ortica.
• ASTRA INNOVAZIONE E SVILUPPOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Orogel supply chain projects for technological innovation and agro-environmental research.
• Orogel Agri-food SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Orogel Agri-food System, a leading Italian food company group. Operates within the integrated supply chain for fresh and frozen produce, contributing to the Zero-Residue production program.
• SICASOVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in anti-counterfeiting initiatives for plant varieties, working together to combat counterfeiting of protected varieties.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Micropropagation Services (MTD): UK-based specialist tissue culture micropropagation laboratory serving horticulture and agriculture. Comparable in core tissue culture technology, though smaller scale and narrower crop focus than Vitroplant.
• Royal Fruitplant (Royal Van Zanten): Dutch plant breeding and propagation company with fruit and ornamental programs. Comparable in propagation technology and European export model, though broader portfolio focus.

Broad incumbents

• Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL): Global fruit variety development and licensing group with proprietary table grape and cherry varieties. Comparable in proprietary plant genetics IP and Mediterranean grower customer base.
• Starke Ayres: South African multinational nursery group producing fruit, vine, and vegetable planting material globally. Comparable in tissue culture propagation and export reach to Africa/Middle East, with broader crop portfolio.

Direct peers

• Dalival (Pépinières du Valois): French fruit tree nursery with European-wide distribution, producing certified apple, pear, and stone fruit rootstocks. Comparable in certified nursery positioning and Mediterranean-adjacent export reach.
• Geoplant Vivai: Italian nursery producing certified fruit plants, rootstocks, and micropropagated material. Direct peer in certified nursery production and Mediterranean market coverage.
• Salvi Vivai: Italian fruit tree nursery producing micropropagated rootstocks and grafted fruit plants for kiwi, stone fruit, pome fruit across Mediterranean markets. Closest direct peer to Vitroplant in product mix, geographic focus, and customer base.
• Vivai Mazzoni: Italian nursery group specialized in certified fruit tree rootstocks and grafted plants. Direct competitor in Italian and European certified nursery segment with similar export focus.
• VCR Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo: Italian cooperative nursery, world leader in certified grapevine propagation. Comparable in cooperative-owned nursery model, certified propagation expertise, and Mediterranean export footprint.

Regional players

• Agri Obtentions: French vegetable and fruit seed/plant breeding company with strong Mediterranean distribution. Comparable in certified plant material focus, though with more emphasis on seed breeding rather than micropropagation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vitroplant

Compliance4 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 vitroplant