May 6, 2010
Vilmorin & Cie, a subsidiary of Limagrain, forms a strategic alliance with Arcadia Biosciences, an agricultural technology company based in Davis, California.
The firm recently assisted Vilmorin & Cie, a subsidiary of Limagrain, a leading producer and distributor of high value added field crop and vegetable seeds, in the formation of a strategic alliance with Arcadia Biosciences, an agricultural technology company based in Davis, California. Vilmorin has purchased a 7.25% equity position in Arcadia Biosciences. In a parallel transaction, Arcadia has purchased a 35% ownership position in Limagrain Cereal Seeds LLC, a company recently formed by Vilmorin to serve as a platform for its development of wheat products in the United States. Additionally, Willkie advised Limagrain Cereal Seeds LLC, in its first two external growth transactions: the acquisitions of all wheat-related assets of Genesis Seed Research and of BSF AG Research, both based in Indiana.
Early this year, Willkie advised Limagrain in the formation of a strategic alliance with French sovereign fund Fonds Stratégique d’Investissement. The current matter was handled by partner Eduardo Fernandez in Paris and associates Faith Livermore, Jennifer Wade and Chandra Garry in New York.
