IN Brief:
- NuCicer and Stricks Ag will deploy more than 10,000 acres in the 2026 season.
- The partnership combines predictive breeding, grower networks, and processing capacity for ingredient supply.
- Pasta, bakery, and snack applications are the first commercial targets as pulse proteins move toward scale.
NuCicer’s move from breeding platform to commercial acreage is now taking shape through a production partnership with Stricks Ag. The agreement will put more than 10,000 acres of the company’s high-protein chickpea variety into the ground during the 2026 growing season, marking its first large-scale commercial deployment.
Stricks Ag will lead production, primary processing, and commercial market development through its grower network and processing assets. The initial target is ingredient supply for pasta, bakery, and snack applications, where protein density, familiar labelling, and functional performance can all influence formulation decisions.
NuCicer has built its breeding platform around crossbreeding modern commercial chickpeas with wild relatives, expanding the genetic base available for selecting protein, flavour, agronomic resilience, and other traits. The company describes the variety as higher in protein and lower in fat than conventional chickpeas, while its broader platform is positioned around non-GMO, nature-based breeding.
Timing is also part of the story. Planting is due to begin in late spring, with the first major commercial harvest expected in August, giving ingredient buyers a clearer line of sight on scale, processing, and supply reliability than early-stage ingredient launches usually offer.
That shifts the story from crop innovation to manufacturing relevance. If the acreage performs as planned, high-protein chickpea inputs move closer to becoming a stable industrial ingredient rather than a promising specialist proposition.
