NuCicer, Stricks Ag launch strategic partnership
The collaboration will scale high-protein chickpeas to meet growing demand.
NuCicer, a predictive breeding and crop innovation company, and Stricks Ag, a supplier of non-GMO specialty pulses, have announced a strategic partnership to deploy more than 10,000 acres of NuCicer’s proprietary high-protein chickpea variety in the 2026 growing season for snacks and other items. This marks the first large-scale commercial deployment enabled by the combined strengths of NuCicer’s predictive breeding platform and Stricks Ag’s production and processing network. The collaboration aims to establish scaled supply capacity to meet growing demand from food manufacturers and brands seeking naturally higher protein, fiber-rich, and simply processed ingredients.
Through the partnership, Stricks Ag will lead production, primary processing, and commercial market development of high-protein chickpea ingredients through its established grower network and modern processing facilities, aiming to enable rapid expansion. With more protein and less fat than commodity chickpea, NuCicer’s variety reportedly enables simply-processed, high-protein ingredients that naturally deliver improved nutrition, functionality, and flavor with an initial focus on supporting baked goods and snack food brands.
Founded in 2019, NuCicer set out to unlock the full potential of chickpea using advanced predictive breeding and natural diversity to breed for nutrient-density, flavor, and improved agronomics, it says. One of NuCicer’s core differentiators is its chickpea breeding library, the company adds. The library was developed through a systematic crossbreeding program led by co-founder Professor Douglas Cook from the University of California Davis, and brings together wild chickpea relatives with modern-day commercial varieties, reportedly expanding available natural diversity by 40 times and unlocking key agronomic and food quality traits.
“This strategic partnership represents an exciting and important milestone for NuCicer as we move from innovation to scale,” says Kathryn Cook, founder and CEO of NuCicer. “By partnering with Stricks Ag, we’re ensuring that these high-protein chickpea varieties can move efficiently from field to food manufacturers—strengthening quality, performance, and supply reliability.”
“This partnership represents a massive opportunity to expand the commercial potential of chickpea ingredients due to the increased functionality and flavor profile NuCicer’s technology enables,” says Jason Aytes, director of business and corporate development. “By combining NuCicer’s advanced breeding innovations with our production and market infrastructure, we can accelerate availability of high-protein chickpeas at a meaningful scale and create value for our partners and customers—farmers, food manufacturers, and food brands.”
Planting for 2026 production begins late spring with harvest expected in August.
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