NuCicer and Stricks Ag have agreed to deploy more than 10,000 acres of proprietary high-protein chickpea varieties in the 2026 growing season, marking the first large-scale commercial rollout of NuCicer’s breeding platform.
The partnership combines NuCicer’s predictive breeding technology with Stricks Ag’s grower network and processing infrastructure. Under the agreement, Stricks Ag will manage production, primary processing and market development through its established supply chain serving food manufacturers.
The chickpea varieties are designed to deliver higher protein and lower fat content than conventional chickpeas. The companies say the crops are intended for use in minimally processed ingredients for pasta, baked goods and snack foods, segments where demand for plant-based proteins has been rising.
Founded in 2019 and based in Davis, California, NuCicer developed its breeding platform using a chickpea genetic library created by co-founder Douglas Cook of University of California, Davis. The program combines modern commercial varieties with wild chickpea relatives, expanding the crop’s available natural genetic diversity roughly fortyfold and enabling the selection of traits related to agronomics, flavor and nutritional density.
Planting of the new varieties is scheduled for late spring 2026, with the first commercial-scale harvest expected in August. The production is intended to supply ingredient manufacturers seeking higher-protein pulse-based inputs.
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