What Vilmorin & Cie does

Vilmorin & Cie is the seed activities subsidiary of Limagrain and ranks as the world's fourth-largest seed company. Founded in 1743 and headquartered in Paris, France, the company creates, produces, and commercializes high value-added vegetable seeds (Semences Potagères) and field crop seeds (Semences de Grandes Cultures) for professional agricultural customers. Its core technology is plant genetics and varietal breeding, with research positioned as the first link in the food chain and oriented toward strengthening agricultural sovereignty.

The company operates a B2B sales-led go-to-market motion, distributing through professional agricultural networks and dealer channels across more than 40 countries spanning Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales of proprietary seed varieties, with no disclosed software, platform, or subscription revenue. Vilmorin & Cie pursues growth both organically through varietal innovation and externally through bolt-on acquisitions, having completed at least ten acquisitions since 2003 (including Hazera Genetics, Mikado Kyowa Seed, and Brasmilho).

In July–August 2023, Limagrain Participations completed a simplified tender offer and mandatory delisting, taking Vilmorin & Cie private and removing it from Euronext Paris. Since then the company has divested its North American joint venture AgReliant Genetics to GDM (September 2025), entered exclusive discussions with Abu Dhabi-based ADQ for a strategic and financial partnership on vegetable seeds (June 2025), and secured approximately €750 million in combined financing in 2026 (a €300 million European Investment Bank R&D loan and a syndicated revolving credit facility expandable to €450 million). Vilmorin & Cie is GDPR-compliant and uses an ISO 27001-certified hosting environment.

Name

Vilmorin & Cie

Legal name

Vilmorin & Cie

Website

https://www.vilmorincie.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1743

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Vilmorin & Cie is the seed activities subsidiary of Limagrain and the world's fourth-largest seed company. It develops, produces, and commercializes proprietary vegetable and field crop seeds for professional farmers and agricultural businesses across more than 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seeds

NAICS

Crop Production (111)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Vegetable Seeds (Open-Pollinated & Hybrid) (AFABAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open-Pollinated/Varietal Seed Multiplication (AFAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Vegetable seeds
• Field crop seeds
• Plant breeding
• Agricultural seed production
• Crop genetics

Headquarters

HQ city

Gerzat

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seed Sales (Vegetable and Field Crops): Vilmorin & Cie creates, produces, and commercializes high value-added vegetable and field crop seeds to professional agricultural customers, generating revenue through product sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Vilmorin & Cie creates, produces, and commercializes high value-added vegetable seeds and field crop seeds for professional agricultural markets and market gardeners. Operating as the seed activities subsidiary of Limagrain and ranked as the world's fourth-largest seed company, it focuses on varietal innovation through dedicated research and development in plant breeding and seed genetics.

Product overview

Vilmorin & Cie operates as the seed activities division of Limagrain, offering a unified portfolio of two core product lines: Semences Potagères (vegetable seeds) and Semences de Grandes Cultures (field crop seeds). Both product lines focus on high value-added seeds developed through varietal innovation, with the company pursuing organic growth through breeding programs and external acquisitions. The company is a pure-play seed company, with no modular platform architecture or software product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Semences Potagères (Vegetable Seeds)
• Semences de Grandes Cultures (Field Crop Seeds)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KWSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2025Former joint venture partner in AgReliant Genetics (North American seed business). Partnership concluded with sale of AgReliant Genetics to GDM in September 2025.
• GDMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2025Acquired AgReliant Genetics from Vilmorin & Cie and KWS in September 2025, concluding the North American joint venture partnership.
• ADQcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2025Vilmorin & Cie entered exclusive discussions with ADQ to establish a strategic and financial partnership on vegetable seeds, announced June 2025.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vilmorin & Cie