Sprouting & microgreen seed · from origin

Onion sprouting seeds for microgreen farms and food-service suppliers

Untreated · Sortex-cleaned · ISTA-tested · COA per lot · 25 kg bags · MOQ 500 kg

Onion microgreens are the slow-grown, long-lasting, genuinely onion-flavoured seedlings that food-service microgreen suppliers in Japan, Korea, Europe and North America have made a signature line — a fine green thread tipped with the black seed coat, with a shelf life no other microgreen matches. Kohenoor supplies untreated, food-grade Allium cepa sprouting lots, Sortex-cleaned and ISTA-tested at origin with lot-specific purity and germination on the COA.

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By Kohenoor Export Desk · reviewed by Usman Hayat, third-generation seed exporter · Updated 2026-10-01

Kohenoor food-grade onion seed for sprouting and microgreens

In short: Onion sprouting seed is untreated, food-grade Allium cepa seed cleaned and tested for growing onion microgreens — slender green seedlings with a true onion flavour and an unusually long shelf life. Kohenoor supplies it from origin: Sortex optical-cleaned, ISTA-tested per lot with purity and germination on the COA, third-party Salmonella and E. coli testing on request, sealed lot-tagged 25 kg bags, 500 kg minimum, FOB Karachi to microgreen farms and distributors in 70+ countries.

Untreated — no coatingSortex optical-cleanedISTA-tested per lotCOA within 24 hThird-party microbial testingLot-tagged traceabilitySince 1957Reply within 24 h

Botanical nameAllium cepa

Sprout time10–14 days microgreen (typical)

FlavourClean, mild onion

GerminationLot-specific on COA

MOQ500 kg

Packaging25 kg lot-tagged bags

What onion microgreens are and who eats them

Onion microgreens are the young seedlings of Allium cepa, the common bulb onion, grown under light for ten to fourteen days until they are slender, upright, deep-green threads 6–10 cm tall, each one still carrying the small black seed coat at its tip like a tiny cap. They look like nothing else in the microgreen tray, and they taste like nothing else: a clean, mild, fresh onion flavour without the sharpness of a raw bulb or the grassiness of a spring onion. A chef uses them where a chive or a scallion would be too much and a leafy microgreen would be wrong.

The product was developed by the Japanese and Korean food-service microgreen industries, where fine, uniform allium seedlings — onion, leek, garlic chive — have been a restaurant garnish for decades, and it has spread to Europe and North America with the growth of restaurant-supply microgreen farms. Today onion microgreens are a standard premium line for farms in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, France, the United States, Canada and Australia, and for the indoor farms serving the Gulf's hotel sector. Premium salad packers include them in "allium" or "savoury" microgreen mixes for upmarket retail. Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan buy them as part of a food-service range.

Who eats them? Restaurant diners, mostly — onion microgreens appear on eggs, potatoes, soups, sushi, fish, steak and savoury canapés — and the retail customer of premium microgreen mixes. For the grower, onion is a slow crop with an unusual commercial virtue: the harvested microgreen keeps for two weeks or more under refrigeration, far longer than radish or basil, which makes it the easiest premium microgreen to distribute and the one with the lowest waste.

Formats are those of the food-service microgreen trade. Onion microgreens are sold cut in small punnets of 25–50 g to restaurants and upmarket retail, living in trays to hotels and food-service customers, and as a component of savoury and allium microgreen mixes. Home-growing ranges list onion for the flavour-led customer. Demand follows the restaurant calendar and is steadiest in markets with a strong hotel and fine-dining sector; farms buy onion seed for the season rather than the year, because the seed is short-lived and a slow crop deserves the freshest lot.

Nutrition and flavour: why onion microgreens have a market

Onion seedlings are typically low in calories and supply vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and a range of minerals for their small weight, and alliums as a family are known for their sulphur compounds — the source of the onion flavour and the subject of considerable research interest. Microgreens in general are known for concentrating certain vitamins and plant compounds relative to the mature plant. We make no claims about any of this; onion microgreens are bought for flavour, appearance and shelf life, and that is how we describe them.

The flavour case is clear. A kitchen that wants a note of onion on a finished plate has few delicate options: chives are stronger and coarser, spring onion stronger still, shallot has to be cut. Onion microgreens are mild enough to use generously, fine enough to lie on a canapé, and visually striking with the black seed cap. In a mixed microgreen punnet a small proportion gives a savoury depth that the brassicas and legumes lack.

The shelf-life case is what makes the line profitable. Most microgreens must be sold within a few days of cutting; onion microgreens hold their colour, texture and flavour for two weeks or more in the cold chain. For a farm that distributes to restaurants across a region, that means less waste, fewer deliveries and a product that can travel. For a retailer it means a premium punnet that does not have to be marked down on day three. All of it depends on seed that germinates evenly and gives a dense, uniform stand — because a slow crop that comes up patchy has cost two weeks of tray space for nothing.

How onion is grown commercially as a microgreen

Onion is one of the slower microgreens, but it is not difficult once its rhythm is understood. The ranges below are those growers typically report.

Seed treatment. Applied by the grower under its own validated procedure. Seed arrives untreated.
Soak. Onion seed benefits from a soak of about 8–12 hours in cool potable water before sowing, which speeds and evens emergence; some growers sow dry on a well-wetted substrate instead. Drain well.
Sow and germinate. Sow densely on a moist substrate — coir, peat, hemp or jute mat — cover or hold in the dark at around 18–22 °C, and keep evenly moist. Emergence typically begins at day 3–5 and the stand is up by day 6–7. Onion seedlings emerge as a loop that straightens, carrying the black seed coat up with the tip.
Grow on. Move to light once the stand is up and grow for a total of roughly 10–14 days, to 6–10 cm, when the seedlings are deep green and upright. Unlike the brassicas there is no cotyledon stage to wait for; the single grass-like leaf is the product.
Harvest. Cut above the substrate, pack dry and chill. The black seed caps are left on; they are part of the look.
Yield. Quoted by tray rather than by weight ratio; onion is a fine, light microgreen and yields less weight per tray than radish, at a correspondingly higher value.

Kohenoor research plots where onion and other sprouting-seed lines are evaluated

Two practical notes. Onion seedlings are slender and will fall over if sown too sparsely — a dense sowing gives a stand that supports itself and looks full. And the long growing time means the substrate must stay evenly moist without ever being wet; onion dislikes waterlogging and good air movement in the room keeps the base of the stand clean through two weeks.

Onion seed is occasionally sprouted short — three to five days in the dark — for inclusion in sprouted-seed mixes, where it adds a sharp onion note. The microgreen, however, is the main commercial use.

The common faults a grower meets with onion follow from its slow cycle and slender habit. A thin, falling stand points to too sparse a sowing or an old lot; sow densely and insist on a current-season test. Yellowing at the base points to a substrate kept too wet for too long. Seedlings that lose the black seed cap early are usually fine, but a stand that is uniformly capless and pale points to weak light. And a stand that emerges over many days rather than together points to a lot that has lost vigour — the reason we tray-trial every onion lot and re-test before dispatch.

What a professional buyer should specify

Onion seed is traded in enormous quantities for vegetable production, and vegetable-grade onion seed is very commonly fungicide-treated, sometimes pelleted or film-coated, and never tested for human pathogens. Your purchase specification should make the sprouting grade explicit. Our lots are documented against the following.

Parameter	What to ask for	Kohenoor onion sprouting lots
Germination	Minimum %, ISTA method, current-season test	Lot-specific on ISTA certificate and COA
Physical purity	Minimum % pure seed	Lot-specific on COA
Other crop / weed seed	Maximum count	Removed by screen, gravity and optical sorting
Inert matter	Maximum %, no capsule fragments, stems, soil	Within purity figure
Moisture	Maximum % for safe storage	Stated on COA
Treatment status	Untreated, no fungicide, no pellet or film coat — in writing	Untreated — on COA and tag
Microbiology	Salmonella, E. coli/STEC, third-party laboratory	Per lot on request
Traceability	Lot ID on every bag	Sealed lot tags, field→bag→warehouse

Treatment deserves the most attention with onion. Natural onion seed is matte black, angular and slightly wrinkled; treated vegetable seed is frequently tinted or coated, and a coloured dressing on black seed is easy to miss unless you look closely. Ask every supplier to state in writing that the seed is untreated and uncoated. Ours is, and the statement is on the documents.

Germination is the other concern, because onion seed is notoriously short-lived — it typically loses viability within a year or two even in good storage, and faster in heat and humidity. Insist on a current-season test, store the seed cool and dry on arrival, and buy in quantities you will use within the season. We re-test lots before dispatch when they have been in store for some months, and the test date is on the tag.

Incoming-quality checks take about ten days with onion. On arrival, draw a sample from several bags, count out four lots of one hundred seeds, soak for eight hours and germinate on moist paper at around 20 °C; count normal seedlings at eight to ten days and compare with the COA, noting the spread of emergence. Look over a handful with a hand lens for tinted or coated seed — natural onion seed is matte black and slightly wrinkled — and for capsule fragments. Photograph anything that does not match the documents and send us the lot ID the same day.

Why origin and cleaning matter for onion

Onion seed is harvested from the dried flower heads of a biennial crop, and the raw lot carries capsule fragments, umbel stems, chaff, light and immature seed, soil and sometimes small weed seed. Capsule fragments are close enough to seed size to need careful screening, and immature seed — which looks like good seed but will not germinate — is the main reason a poorly cleaned onion lot underperforms. Our sequence is air-screen cleaning for capsule and chaff, gravity separation for light and immature seed and soil, and Sortex optical sorting as the final pass, which rejects shrivelled, discoloured and off-type seed one at a time. The result is a lot of plump, uniform, matte-black seed that sows evenly and emerges as one stand.

Seed cleaning plant where Kohenoor onion sprouting lots are screened, gravity-separated and optically sorted

Origin and freshness matter more for onion than for almost any other seed in the range, because of its short natural life. A seed crop ripened and harvested dry in a long, hot season has high initial vigour; a lot bought from the current season, at origin, has not spent a year losing that vigour in someone else's warehouse. Sindh gives us the ripening season, and growing, cleaning and exporting under one roof gives the lot one continuous record under one lot ID.

Onion is not a dodder crop and off-type contamination is rare at this seed size; the cleaning challenge is capsule fragments and immature seed, and the screen and gravity stages are where that is solved.

Food safety and documents for onion sprouting seed

Onion seed intended for microgreen or sprout production is a food ingredient under the rules of every major importing market. The export desk prepares the full document set for each consignment.

EU Regulation 208/2013 — lot-level traceability of seeds for sprouting one step back and one step forward. Sealed lot tags and lot-referenced invoice and packing list supply it.
EU Regulation 211/2013 — the import certificate for sprouts and seeds for sprouting into the Union, attesting production under hygiene conditions equivalent to EU rules; we prepare the supporting documentation with the competent authority.
US FDA Produce Safety Rule, sprout provisions — our COA, lot documents and third-party microbiology reports serve the seed-provenance section of your sprout safety plan.
Certificate of Analysis within 24 hours: germination, purity, moisture, untreated status, lot ID, cross-referenced to the ISTA Orange Certificate.
Third-party microbiology for Salmonella and E. coli/STEC on request per lot, by an independent accredited laboratory.
Phytosanitary certificate under the IPPC, certificate of origin, commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading.
Food-contact packaging declaration for the poly liner and PP bag, meeting FDA and EU food-grade requirements.

Microgreen growers whose product is cut above the substrate are generally within general produce-safety law rather than the sprout-specific rules; the same seed documentation serves them. Kohenoor is ISO 9001 and HACCP certified, and the food safety and testing page sets out the programme.

Kohenoor's quality process for onion lots

Onion lots for the sprouting programme are drawn from the current harvest and brought straight onto the food-grade cleaning run. Each lot is sampled under ISTA rules and tested in our laboratory for germination, purity and moisture before release, then sent for the ISTA Orange Certificate. Because onion is a slow crop whose seed ages quickly, we re-test germination before dispatch on any lot that has been in store for some months, and the test date is on every bag tag.

Kohenoor seed laboratory — germination testing and tray trials of onion sprouting seed

We also run a full tray trial on every onion lot — soaked, sown densely, grown under light for twelve days — to see what the count cannot show: the evenness of emergence, the density and uprightness of the stand, and the colour and flavour at harvest. A lot that comes up thin or staggered is diverted to agricultural use whatever its germination percentage. Only lots that pass both the laboratory test and the tray trial are tagged as sprouting seed.

The cleaning line runs air-screen, gravity and Sortex stages with a documented clean-down between lots, and the food-grade sprouting run is kept apart from any vegetable or agricultural seed. Bags are filled, weighed, sealed and tagged with lot ID, species, test date and net weight; retained samples are held from every lot. The lot ID ties together field record, cleaning record, laboratory results, tray trial and microbiology report.

A person on the export desk — Pakistan, Dubai or Australia — answers within 24 hours in English, Arabic, Spanish or French, sends current lot documents with the quotation and stays with the order through to clearance at your port.

Packaging, minimum order, lead time and payment

Packaging. 25 kg net in poly-lined polypropylene woven bags with a sealed lot tag; for a seed as moisture-sensitive as onion the liner is essential through sea transit. Private-label and OEM bags and retail-ready pouches are available on request for the home-growing trade.

Minimum order. 500 kg (20 bags). Onion is a lower-volume line and is almost always ordered as part of a mixed container with radish, mustard, cress, basil and fennel; the minimum applies per species.

Lead time. In-stock lots ready for FOB Karachi vessel loading within 7–12 days of order confirmation. A fresh microbiology report or special packaging may add a few days.

Terms and payment. FOB Karachi, CFR or CIF on request. Payment 100% TT against bill of lading copy or irrevocable letter of credit at sight; easier terms for repeat buyers.

Destinations. USA, EU and UK, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, GCC, Australia and more. Because onion seed is short-lived, we recommend ordering for the season rather than for the year, and storing it cool, dry and sealed on arrival.

For container planning, 25 kg bags palletise at roughly 40 bags to the tonne, and a 20-foot container carries on the order of 18–20 MT of bagged seed. Onion is almost never shipped alone; restaurant-supply microgreen farms take it with radish, mustard, cress, fennel and basil, in quantities sized to the season. Each species is tagged and documented separately so every lot keeps its identity through customs and into your traceability records, and the test date on the tag lets you rotate stock so the oldest lot is sown first.

Who buys onion sprouting seed from Kohenoor

Food-service microgreen farms in Europe, North America, East Asia, Australia and the Gulf are the main onion buyers; the line's shelf life makes it a favourite for farms distributing across a region. See for microgreen farms.

Premium salad and microgreen packers include onion in savoury and allium mixes for upmarket retail.

Commercial sprout growers producing sprouted-seed mixes use onion as a sharp short sprout in small proportion. See for commercial sprout growers.

Health-food distributors and re-packers list onion in home-growing microgreen ranges. See for health-food distributors.

Private-label brands have us pack under their own name at origin. See for private-label brands.

The questions these buyers ask us first are consistent. Is the seed untreated and uncoated — yes, declared in writing. How old is the lot — current season, with the ISTA test date on the tag and a re-test before dispatch if it has been in store for some months. Does it come up evenly — we tray-trial every onion lot for twelve days before tagging it, and a sample will show you in your own room. Can you supply a microbiology report — yes, independent laboratory, per lot on request. Can we order for the season rather than the year — yes, that is what we recommend for onion. And can it travel with our fennel, basil and radish — yes, in one container, each species documented separately.

Blends and the rest of the sprouting range

Onion microgreens are a blending component for savoury mixes. The classic food-service "savoury mix" is onion with radish and mustard; the premium retail "herb" punnet pairs onion with basil and fennel; and a small proportion of onion in a mild alfalfa-and-clover sprout mix gives it a savoury edge. Everything below ships with the same documents in the same container.

Basil and fennel — the other aromatic specialist microgreens; onion's companions on the chef's tray.
Radish, mustard and cress — the fast, peppery microgreens.
Alfalfa and clover — the mild legume sprouts.
Fenugreek and sesame — spice-seeds for sprouted-seed mixes.
Mung bean and chickpea — thick legume sprouts for cooking.

The whole range is compared on the sprouting seeds hub. Custom blends are mixed and packed at origin after a laboratory tray trial.

Typical blend (by seed weight)	Onion	Partners	Character
Savoury food-service mix	about 30%	radish 40%, mustard 30%	Savoury, hot, colourful
Premium herb punnet	about 25%	basil 25%, fennel 25%, radish 25%	Aroma, savour and colour
Allium microgreen	100%	—	Fine, long-keeping, mild onion

Onion, fennel and basil grow on similar two-week timetables and can be sown together; radish and mustard are far faster and are grown separately and combined at packing. These proportions are common starting points rather than a formula; a laboratory tray trial shows you the punnet before you commit a container.

How to order onion sprouting seed in three steps

1. Send your requirement. WhatsApp +92 310 4929292 or email export@kohenoorint.com with quantity, destination port, any specification your quality system needs and whether you want a sample first. Samples of current lots are available; for a slow crop like onion we recommend a sample tray before the first container.

2. Receive the quotation and lot documents. Within 24 hours: quotation FOB Karachi (or CFR/CIF), COA and ISTA certificate for the proposed lot, and a shipping schedule.

3. Confirm and ship. On your purchase order and payment arrangement we book the vessel, complete the phytosanitary and origin certificates and load within 7–12 days for stock lots. The document set reaches you by email before the vessel arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Is it untreated?

Yes. Every onion sprouting lot we ship is natural, untreated seed: no fungicide, no insecticide, no coating or pelleting of any kind. Treated seed is never food-grade and we keep sprouting lots physically and administratively separate from our agricultural seed. The untreated status is written on the COA and on the lot tag.

Do you test for Salmonella and E. coli?

On request, each lot is sampled and sent to an independent third-party laboratory for Salmonella and E. coli/STEC testing, and the report travels with the lot documents. Many buyers also run their own incoming-quality checks, and we encourage that; we will supply retained samples and the sampling record so your laboratory can correlate results with ours.

Can you supply organic?

Yes. Organic-certified onion lots (USDA NOP, EU Organic or JAS) are available subject to a 5 MT minimum and a 60–90 day lead time, because organic lots are grown and cleaned to order under certified handling. Tell us which certification your market needs and we will confirm the programme for the season.

What are the MOQ and lead time?

The minimum order for onion sprouting seed is 500 kg. In-stock lots ship within 7–12 days to FOB Karachi vessel loading. Transit time then depends on the destination port; your forwarder or ours will give you the sailing schedule when we confirm the order.

Do you do private label?

Yes. Beyond our standard 25 kg poly-lined PP woven bags with sealed lot tags, we offer private-label and OEM packaging, and retail-ready pouches, clamshells and sleeves on request. Send your artwork and pack sizes and we will quote the packaging alongside the seed.

Which countries do you ship to?

We ship FOB Karachi (CFR/CIF on request) to the USA, EU and UK, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the GCC states, Australia and many other destinations. Kohenoor serves buyers in 70+ countries and has offices in Pakistan, Dubai and Australia, so there is usually someone in or near your time zone.

How long will onion sprouting seed keep?

Not as long as most seeds. Onion seed is naturally short-lived and typically loses viability within a year or two even in good storage, faster in heat and humidity. We supply current-season lots with a recent ISTA test, re-test before dispatch when a lot has been stored for some months, and recommend that you order for the season, store the seed cool, dry and sealed, and use it within the year.

Why do onion microgreens keep so much longer than other microgreens?

The onion seedling is a single, firm, waxy leaf rather than a soft stem and cotyledon, and it loses water slowly. Cut dry and kept cold, onion microgreens typically hold colour, texture and flavour for two weeks or more, against a few days for radish or basil. That is why food-service farms that distribute across a region make onion a core line; it travels and it does not have to be sold tomorrow.