Parent company of Strube UK acquired

The family-owned German seed company, Strube GmbH & Co KG, known in the UK for its popular sugar beet varieties, such as Haydn and Pasteur, has been acquired by the French seed company Deleplanque & Cie and by the German pelleting company SUET Saat-und Erntetechnik GmbH, creating a major new force in European breeding.

The three companies have been working together for many decades. Deleplanque is the exclusive distributor of Strube’s sugar beet varieties in France and multiplies many of Strube’s varieties. SUET is responsible for treating, pelleting and incrusting Strube’s seed in Europe. Both of the new owning companies are renowned family businesses maintaining the heritage of Strube being family-owned and farmer-focused.

Richard Powell, Managing Director of Strube UK Ltd, commented on the move. “The new ownership will ensure that Strube remains a strong independent seed breeder. It will provide supply chain integration from the initial research and breeding, through seed growing and multiplication, to the latest and best seed preparation technologies and processes.

Most importantly, for the British farmer, it will maintain investment into new breeding lines and new technologies to deliver an even stronger breeding programme into the future. The acquisition will not change our UK team, or our current excellent portfolio of varieties and renowned seed quality. It will ensure even better sugar beet varieties will become available to British growers.”