INDUSTRIES
Agri-food tech
#1
ag science university in the U.S.
2.00x
national average concentration
of biological scientists
1.82x
national average concentration
of life scientists
Sources: U.S. News & World Report, 2024, Jobs EQ
Expertise across the food and ag supply chain
From discovery to distribution, foodtech and agtech solutions are built in Greater Sacramento for use worldwide. Experts across the industry have clustered in the region, facilitating connections and catalyzing innovation.
Agricultural inputs
International leaders like BASF, Novozymes, Syngenta and Yara host plant science and biotech research and development operations in Greater Sacramento.
Food production
Greater Sacramento is home to renowned producers like FRC, Muller Ranch and TOMRA. The region’s millions of acres of farmland produce more than $2 billion in agricultural value. Top crops include wine grapes, walnuts, almonds and rice.
Food processing
The region is home to 200+ food processing businesses including industry leaders like Pacific Coast Producers, Nippon Shokken, Blue Diamond Almonds and Sunsweet.
Retail
Two grocery retail leaders, Raley’s and Nugget Markets, have their headquarters in Greater Sacramento, offering companies a direct line to bring their products to market.
Home of UC Davis, the country’s top ag science university
for plant and animal sciences
in the world
in research funding
UC Davis food and ag competencies and partnership opportunities:
- Technology transfer and economic development through patents, licensing and entrepreneurship
- Research on and production of clean plant materials for agricultural production
- Development of insect-resistant grape varieties for the wine industry
- Establishment of air quality standards with California’s Central Valley dairy industry
- Development of food safety partnerships with leafy-green growers
- Facilitation of growth in California’s seed industry
Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science
UC Davis’ Robert Mondavi Institute hosts world-class research and teaching facilities, including the world’s first winery, brewery and food and dairy processing facility certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum. The institute is home to three centers facilitating industry, research and educational efforts related to olives, honey and pollination and wine economics.
Foodtech and agtech incubators and research park
BioSpace
BioSpace at The Bridge District is a 1.4 million square-foot Class A life science campus situated in West Sacramento’s waterfront mixed-use development near downtown Sacramento. Phase I includes a purpose-built lab of approximately 430,000 square feet.
The Port
The Port consists of 60 acres and 1.1 million square feet of dedicated manufacturing space. Strategically positioned just 2.5 miles from BioSpace at The Bridge District, located at the Port of West Sacramento, this facility offers a central location for life science endeavors. Tailored specifically for biomanufacturing, The Port serves as a pivotal resource for driving innovation and advancement in the field.
Lab@AgStart
The Lab@AgStart is the only integrated wet lab and food lab in Northern California. It features 13,000 square feet of shared wet lab, food lab and coworking space, including 52 lab benches and a commercial kitchen for food product development and prototyping.
Bayer CoLaborator
Located at the global headquarters of Bayer Crop Science’s Biologics group, the CoLaborator is a shared lab space for biotech startups. The laboratories include basic equipment for agriculture tech startups to quickly begin testing their ideas with basic services and permits provided by Bayer.
Woodland Research and Technology Park
Woodland Research Park is a 350-acre project planned just seven miles from UC Davis. The research park will house 2 million square feet of office and lab space focused on agtech, biotech, energy efficiency technology, manufacturing and environmental technology. The park will be a live/work community, including multi-family homes and 23 acres of parks and open space.
Additional foodtech and agtech asssets
The March Fund
The March Fund is an early-late stage foodtech venture capital fund headquartered in Greater Sacramento that focuses on transformative biotechnologies, machine intelligence and nutrition product businesses.
Food & Ag Council
GSEC’s Food & Ag Council is comprised of esteemed industry professionals focused on aligning industry assets and resources, providing leadership on policy and initiatives and identifying new sources of capital for the industry.
Seed Central
Seed Central is a public-private partnership energizing the seed and ag biotech cluster surrounding UC Davis. Seed Central facilitates communication and research between UC Davis and the seed and ag-biotech industry (including some 100 seed-related companies surrounding the university) to bring science to market faster.
Greater Sacramento foodtech and agtech business success stories
TurtleTree
Foodtech
The Singaporean company’s 24,000-square-foot R&D facility in West Sacramento will house a world-class research hub showcasing the company’s extensive array of innovations and technologies used to produce its cell-based mammalian milks. Learn more about why TurtleTree chose Greater Sacramento here.
Tomra Sorting Solutions
Farm robotics, mechanization and equipment
The Norwegian-owned, leading provider of sensor-based sorting and peeling equipment manufactures, tests and demonstrates products in their West Sacramento headquarters facility.
Better Meat Co.
Foodtech
The Better Meat Co. is a B2B producer of next-generation plant-based proteins for foodservice providers and meat processors that recently secured a partnership with Hormel Foods. They’ve found success through their West Sacramento headquarters thanks to its proximity to tech and agriculture innovators in the Greater Sacramento region.
MyFloraDNA
Plant biotech
This Spanish biotech company uses cutting-edge DNA technologies to accelerate the long breeding process and provide genomic solutions to growers. Learn more about their experience in Greater Sacramento here.
advanced.farm
Agtech
Advanced.farm is a cutting-edge agtech company located just minutes from UC Davis – the country’s #1 agricultural science university — in the Greater Sacramento region.
We’re eagerly looking forward to working with the brilliant talent in the area and building a future generation of nutrition that we can all enjoy for decades to come.
Greater Sacramento Life Sciences Report
Greater Sacramento is seeing accelerated momentum, including in its life science industry. In 2023, Business Facilities ranked Sacramento #2 in the country for life science growth.
The region is the destination of California’s food and agriculture production, distribution, and innovation. It is home to leaders across the supply chain and UC Davis – the #1 university in the U.S. for both agriculture and forestry and veterinary medicine. Startups and global leaders in the agri-food tech and biotech industries come to the region for its talent, real estate, and quality of life.
Download a copy of the Greater Sacramento Life Sciences Report – a collaboration between Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Colliers, and CBRE – to learn more about the region’s trajectory and growth opportunities.
Other top foodtech and agtech businesses in Greater Sacramento:
Top agtech employers in Greater Sacramento
| wdt_ID | Company | Location type | Employee count | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayer CropScience | Branch | 275 | Research and development |
| 2 | HM Clause Inc. | Branch | 190 | Seed breeding |
| 3 | Marrone Bio Innovations | Headquarters | 65 | Biotechnology |
| 4 | Arcadia Biosciences Inc. | Headquarters | 45 | Biotechnology |
| 5 | Syngenta | Branch | 41 | Research and development |
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