The Californer - NuCicer & Stricks Ag Launch Strategic Partnership to Scale High-Protein Chickpeas to Meet Immediate

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DAVIS, Calif. - Californer -- NuCicer, an advanced predictive breeding and crop
innovation company, and Stricks Ag, a leading supplier of non-GMO specialty pulses,
today announced a strategic partnership to deploy more than 10,000 acres of NuCicer's
proprietary high-protein chickpea variety in the 2026 growing season — marking 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 establishes 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, enabling rapid expansion.
With more protein and less fat than commodity chickpea, NuCicer's variety enables
simply-processed, high-protein ingredients that naturally deliver improved nutrition,
functionality, and flavor with an initial focus on supporting pasta, 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,

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and improved agronomics. One of NuCicer's core differentiators is their chickpea
breeding library. 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, expanding available natural diversity by 40x 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," said 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," said Jason Aytes, Director – Business & 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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NuCicer will be exhibiting next week at the Southern California IFT Suppliers Expo
booth #1015 N as well as the Natural Products Expo West booth #145.

About NuCicer
NuCicer is a crop innovation company unlocking the full potential of chickpea through
advanced predictive breeding. By harnessing natural diversity and applying modern
data-driven breeding methods, NuCicer develops nutrient-dense, high-performance
chickpea varieties designed to improve nutrition, functionality, and supply reliability for
stakeholders across the agriculture and food industries. The company's proprietary
breeding platform transforms underutilized wild diversity into commercially elite
varieties, enabling the development of scalable, next-generation ingredients that meet
growing global demand for better nutrient-dense foods. Founded in 2019, NuCicer is
focused on establishing chickpea as a foundational crop for the future of food. http://nucicer.com

About Stricks Ag
Stricks Ag is a leading, full-service solution provider of pulses to various end-use
manufacturers of human food, pet food and intermediaries throughout North America
and around the globe. With a unique focus on growing, processing and marketing
chickpeas – coupled with an intense focus on quality assurance, R&D and service -
Stricks Ag has become one of the largest and most trusted chickpea ingredient
suppliers to many of North America's most prominent brands and manufacturers. http://stricksag.com