Hilleshog Seeds
HILLESHÖG is a 1907-established sugar beet seed brand, now part of the United Beet Seeds joint venture, supplying disease-resistant, climate-tailored sugar beet seed varieties to commercial growers and sugar factories across 20+ countries worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1907
- HeadquartersLongmont, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hilleshog Seeds does
HILLESHÖG is a sugar beet seed brand established in 1907 in Landskrona, Sweden, specializing in the development, production, and sale of high-quality sugar beet seed varieties tailored to diverse climates and agronomic conditions. The brand's core technology centers on proprietary breeding programs that deliver genetic resistance and tolerance to major sugar beet diseases (Cercospora, Rhizoctonia, SBR/RTD, mildew, rust), pests (nematodes), and viruses (BYV, BChV, BMYV), with flagship technologies including CONVISO SMART (ALS-tolerant varieties combined with Bayer's CONVISO ONE herbicide), CERCOTECH (cercospora-tolerant varieties), VYtech (virus resistance), and multi-genetic disease resistance platforms. Variety types are categorized (NZ, N, Z) and span general-purpose offerings like VANILLA, disease-specific varieties (LASER, RHINEMA, SONIC VYTech, MULTIVIRA), Rhizoctonia-tolerant lines (TAIFUN, NAUTA), and biogas-production varieties (NAKSKOV, ARMESA, SY MUSE). Since September 2024, HILLESHÖG has operated under the United Beet Seeds (UBS) joint venture between Groupe Florimond Desprez and DLF Seeds A/S, consolidating four major root crop brands.
The company's revenue model is built on one-time seed sales to commercial beet growers and the sugar industry worldwide, with no subscription or licensing model. GTM motion is sales-led through regional sales representatives and direct key account management with major sugar factories (including Südzucker and Pfeifer & Langen in Germany), complemented by channel distributors in markets such as Turkey, Morocco (AGRIN MAROC), and Japan (Mitsui & Co.). HILLESHÖG serves 20+ countries (some sources cite 30+) with country-specific websites and localized contact points, with sales focused on two primary customer segments: commercial beet growers (SMB) supplying the sugar industry, and enterprise sugar factories / biogas producers requiring high-volume raw material supply. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
Operations span key offices in Longmont, CO (US sales), Holeby, Denmark (main seed processing), Tienen, Belgium (United Beet Innovation Centre / R&D headquarters with 13,000+ sqm greenhouses and 2,000 sqm labs), Hannover, Germany (DLF Beet Seed GmbH legal entity), Falkenberg, Sweden, and Iława, Poland. Quality assurance is anchored by ESTA certification (passed with no non-conformities in late 2025) at both Tienen and Holeby processing sites, with strict seed quality controls ensuring only 10-20% of harvested seed passes stringent testing procedures.
Hilleshog Seeds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hilleshog Seeds
- Legal name
- HILLESHÖG
- Website
- https://hilleshog.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1907
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HILLESHÖG is a 1907-established sugar beet seed brand, now part of the United Beet Seeds joint venture, supplying disease-resistant, climate-tailored sugar beet seed varieties to commercial growers and sugar factories across 20+ countries worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hilleshog Seeds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Seeds
- NAICS
- Sugar Beet Farming (111991)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sugar & Starch Crop Seed Cane/Seed Stock Production (AFAGAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sugar Beet Farming (AFAGAEAB)
Keywords
Where Hilleshog Seeds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Longmont
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Hilleshog Seeds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Sugar Beet Seed Sales: Primary revenue from selling high-quality sugar beet seed varieties to beet growers and the sugar industry worldwide. Seed sales through direct sales representatives and channel distributors across 20+ countries.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Hilleshog Seeds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hilleshog Seeds supplies sugar beet seed varieties tailored to diverse climates and agronomic needs. The company offers a full portfolio of varieties with proprietary traits including ALS-tolerance (CONVISO SMART), cercospora tolerance (CERCOTECH), virus resistance (VYtech), Rhizoctonia tolerance, SBR tolerance, and nematode tolerance, sold to commercial beet growers and sugar factories in more than 20 countries.
Product overview
HILLESHÖG is a sugar beet seed brand offering a full portfolio of seed varieties developed for specific climates and local growing conditions. The product line includes two specialized solutions: CONVISO® SMART (an ALS-tolerant weed control system using Bayer's CONVISO® ONE herbicide) and CERCOTECH® (cercospora-tolerant varieties). Individual varieties are categorized by type (NZ, N, Z) and target applications: general varieties like VANILLA for broad disease resistance; SBR-tolerant varieties like LASER, RHINEMA, SONIC VYTech, and MULTIVIRA for areas with Syndrome des Basses Richesses; Rhizoctonia-tolerant varieties like TAIFUN and NAUTA; and biogas varieties like NAKSKOV, ARMESA, and SY MUSE optimized for energy production. The brand is now powered by parent company United Beet Seeds (UBS).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CONVISO® SMART: ALS-tolerant sugar beet varieties combined with Bayer's CONVISO® ONE herbicide for innovative weed control in sugar beets.
- CERCOTECH®
Products and services
- HILLESHÖG Sugar Beet Seed Portfolio Full portfolio of sugar beet seed varieties developed for specific climates and local growing conditions worldwide, sold to commercial beet growers, sugar factories, and biogas producers in over 20 countries.
- CONVISO SMART Innovative weed control system combining ALS-tolerant sugar beet varieties with Bayer's CONVISO ONE herbicide for broad-spectrum weed control without crop damage.
- CERCOTECH Sugar beet varieties combining strong cercospora tolerance with high sugar yield to preserve yield and sugar content under medium to strong cercospora pressure.
- VANILLA Sugar Beet Variety Universal-type (NZ) sugar beet variety with very high resistance against Cercospora, Ramularia, powdery mildew, and rust; stable yield under disease pressure.
- LASER Sugar Beet Variety SBR-tolerant (NZ type) sugar beet variety with multi-virus tolerance and nematode tolerance, providing high resistance against SBR syndrome under infestation.
- RHINEMA Sugar Beet Variety NZ-type sugar beet variety providing yield and raw material security through genetic basic protection against SBR symptoms on Rhizoctonia areas, with high resistance from 4 resistances against SBR symptomatology.
- SONIC VYTech Sugar Beet Variety Nematode-tolerant robust NZ-type variety with partial resistance to mild yellowing virus and tolerances for necrotic (BYV) and chlorotic (BChV) yellowing virus; combines SBR Niedrigzucker and RTD Gummirüben tolerance.
- NAUTA Sugar Beet Variety Highly resistant N-type variety for Rhizoctonia infestation combining very high Rhizoctonia resistance with very good Cercospora tolerance.
- TAIFUN Sugar Beet Variety Rhizoctonia-tolerant Z-type variety of the most resistant generation, combining high sugar content with very high tolerance against Late Rhizoctonia root rot.
- MULTIVIRA Sugar Beet Variety SBR- and Stolbur/RTD-tolerant sugar beet variety with nematode tolerance and BYV tolerance, approved by the Bundessortenamt in February 2025.
- NAKSKOV Biogas Sugar Beet Variety N-type robust nematode-tolerant biogas variety with high beet yields regardless of nematode infestation, featuring medium sugar content that stimulates fermentation.
- ARMESA Sugar Beet Variety Rizomania-tolerant N-type variety with high beet yields, suitable for medium to late harvest dates, featuring Cercospora leaf spot tolerance.
- SY MUSE Biogas Sugar Beet Variety N-type variety delivering high sugar yields from high beet yields with low soil adhesion and high dry matter content for high methane yields.
Quantifiable outcome
- Only 10-20% of harvested seed passes stringent quality testing
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hilleshog Seeds
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hilleshog Seeds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Hilleshog Seeds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- United Beet Seeds (UBS)coreUnited Beet Seeds was founded in September 2024 as a joint venture between Groupe Florimond Desprez and DLF Seeds A/S. It specializes in all aspects of sugar beet seed research, production, processing, and commercialisation. UBS includes the brands SESVANDERHAVE, MARIBO, HILLESHÖG, and KUHN. All key activities including variety selection, breeding, registration, and sales are now managed under the UBS umbrella. This enables coordinated services across markets, tailored regional solutions, and strengthened innovation through shared R&D.
- BayercoreLicensing and co-development partnership for the CONVISO® SMART system. HILLESHÖG develops ALS-tolerant sugar beet varieties that work specifically with Bayer's CONVISO® ONE herbicide for innovative weed control in sugar beets.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hilleshog Seeds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SESVANDERHAVE: Sister brand under the United Beet Seeds JV, focused on sugar beet seed varieties across multiple geographies. Direct peer because both compete and collaborate within the same product category (sugar beet seed) and share R&D infrastructure at UBIC, making them the closest comparable in portfolio and customer base.
- Betaseed: Owned by KWS, Betaseed is one of the largest sugar beet seed brands in North America and competes directly with HILLESHÖG's North American offerings. Direct peer in product (sugar beet seed) and overlapping customer base (US beet growers and sugar cooperatives).
- Strube D&S GmbH: Independent German sugar beet seed breeder offering competitive varieties in European markets. Direct peer in sugar beet seed breeding, sales, and customer base (European sugar factories and growers), with comparable portfolio breadth.
- MARIBO Seed: Another sister brand under United Beet Seeds, selling sugar beet varieties globally. Direct peer given identical product category, overlapping customer base (sugar factories and beet growers), and shared breeding pipeline. HILLESHÖG and MARIBO share distributors (e.g., Mitsui & Co. for Japan).
- KUHN (sugar beet brand under UBS): Fourth sugar beet seed brand housed under the United Beet Seeds JV alongside HILLESHÖG, SESVANDERHAVE, and MARIBO. Direct peer operating in the same product category with overlapping customer base and shared R&D infrastructure.
Others
- Groupe Florimond Desprez: Co-parent of United Beet Seeds JV. French family-owned seed group with sugar beet breeding expertise that contributed the SESVANDERHAVE brand to UBS. Indirect peer through shared JV ownership and shared R&D resources, but competes in adjacent seed categories (cereals, vegetables) more than directly in sugar beet at the brand level.
- DLF Seeds A/S: Co-parent of the United Beet Seeds JV that owns HILLESHÖG. DLF is a global seed company primarily focused on forage and turf seeds, with sugar beet seeds housed in its DLF Beet Seed subsidiary. Relevant as parent, customer-facing entity, and shared services provider rather than direct product competitor.
Broad incumbents
- KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA: Global market leader in sugar beet seeds via its Betaseed subsidiary, with substantially larger R&D budget and broader crop portfolio (corn, cereals). Broad incumbent competing head-to-head with HILLESHÖG in the same sugar beet category but operating across multiple crops and geographies.
- Bayer Crop Science: Multinational crop science company that both competes with HILLESHÖG in sugar beet seed and partners with it on CONVISO® SMART (Bayer supplies the herbicide, HILLESHÖG supplies the ALS-tolerant varieties). Comparable as a sugar beet seed competitor but with much larger crop protection footprint.
- Syngenta Sugar Beet: Multinational seed and crop protection company with sugar beet seed offerings as part of its broader portfolio. Competes with HILLESHÖG in the same product category but offers sugar beet as one of many crops, giving it broader scale and bundled offerings.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hilleshog Seeds social profiles
Digital presenceHilleshog Seeds compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Hilleshog Seeds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hilleshog Seeds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Hilleshog Seeds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hilleshog Seeds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hilleshog Seeds
What does Hilleshog Seeds do?
Hilleshog Seeds supplies sugar beet seed varieties tailored to diverse climates and agronomic needs. The company offers a full portfolio of varieties with proprietary traits including ALS-tolerance (CONVISO SMART), cercospora tolerance (CERCOTECH), virus resistance (VYtech), Rhizoctonia tolerance, SBR tolerance, and nematode tolerance, sold to commercial beet growers and sugar factories in more than 20 countries.
Is Hilleshog Seeds a public or private company?
Hilleshog Seeds is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hilleshog Seeds founded?
Hilleshog Seeds was founded in 1907. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hilleshog Seeds based?
Hilleshog Seeds is headquartered in Longmont, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hilleshog Seeds make money?
One revenue line is on record: sugar Beet Seed Sales.
Who are Hilleshog Seeds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SESVANDERHAVE, Betaseed, Strube D&S GmbH, MARIBO Seed and KUHN (sugar beet brand under UBS). Others are Groupe Florimond Desprez and DLF Seeds A/S. Broad incumbents are KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA, Bayer Crop Science and Syngenta Sugar Beet.
Does Hilleshog Seeds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hilleshog Seeds.
What industry is Hilleshog Seeds in?
Hilleshog Seeds's product category is Agricultural Seeds. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAEAK, Sugar & Starch Crop Seed Cane/Seed Stock Production, with a secondary code of AFAGAEAB, Sugar Beet Farming. Its NAICS code is 111991 and its SIC code is 100.