KWS balances a 170-year heritage with a future-focused mission.
It’s not every day you talk with someone whose family has been innovating in seeds for nearly 170 years.
But for Felix Büchting, CEO of KWS, that legacy is less about nostalgia and more about fuel for the future.
“I see myself as a caretaker,” Büchting says in a quiet, deliberate tone. “The company has been passed to me as the seventh generation, so I want to take good care of it so I can pass it on then to the eighth generation.”
Founded in 1856 by Büchting’s great-great-great-great grandfather, Matthias Christian Rabbethge, KWS has grown from a 50-hectare sugar beet farm in Klein Wanzleben, Germany, into a global player with 5,000 employees, operations in more than 70 countries and annual revenues of €1.7 billion. But that kind of growth didn’t come from simply preserving tradition.
“It’s not about preserving the ashes,” Büchting says. “It’s about making sure that the fire continues to burn.”
That flame has been kept alive through the company’s core values — closeness, independence, foresight and reliability — woven deeply into its long-term strategy and remarkable, continuous reinvestment in research and development. One-third of the KWS workforce is devoted to R&D, and €326 million from last year’s sales went directly into research and breeding.
Balancing the Long Look with Agility
The company’s deep roots give it a unique advantage when navigating the modern challenges of agriculture — from rising regulatory demands to climate change and chemical restrictions.
“What makes us successful is the ability to balance the long look and dynamic adaption,” Büchting says. “Plant breeding is a lengthy process. Most of our crops require about 10 years of development and registration. That kind of planning is in contrast to the short-term pressures of quarterly reporting and shareholder value creation.” KWS uses that long view to fuel agility where it counts — especially in incorporating emerging technologies from outside agriculture. “To be able to adopt those technologies rapidly, to see where they offer potential in our breeding pipeline, that’s key,” he says. “Quick decision-making is just as important as long-term vision.”
From Sugar Beets to a Broad Crop Portfolio
Sugar beet was the starting point — and remains a global niche where KWS leads the market. Büchting says one of the most transformative innovations came from the rapid adoption of Roundup Ready sugar beet in the United States.
“We went from zero to 90% market penetration in two years,” he says. “That was the most rapid adoption we’ve seen in our history.”
Today, KWS continues to lead with innovations like CR+ sugar beet varieties for Cercospora resistance and InsectPROTECT oilseed rape, which brings genetic defense against flea beetle larvae. The company has also taken a leading role in the European market for silage corn. In the cereals segment, KWS recently marked bold steps in sustainable livestock feed with certified rye varieties and is actively expanding into vegetables and food ingredients.
“We’re convinced that vegetables are an absolutely growing market,” Büchting says. “With the change in consumer behavior, there will be more demand, not less.”
In addition to acquiring Pop Vriend Seeds in the Netherlands and Geneplanta in Italy, KWS has built up an entirely new network of breeding and research locations across Europe and the Americas. The company now focuses on nine key vegetable crops including beans, spinach, tomatoes and peppers.
Serving the Entire Value Chain
Büchting believes genetics can create value not just for farmers, but for the entire food chain.
“We’re looking beyond the farm gate,” he says. “Can our products offer an added value that is maybe not agronomic, but rather a benefit for the food processing or manufacturing industry?”
KWS is exploring how plant-based proteins and ingredients can offer genetics-based advantages for food companies. Even as the plant-based protein market settles, Büchting sees continued growth.
“The bubble may have burst a bit, but we still see 15% growth year over year,” he says. “There’s clear interest, and we’re well-positioned to contribute.”
Your Seed Partner
Above all, Büchting says, KWS is committed to being a true partner to farmers.
“My grandfather always said, ‘We live off the trust of the farmer,’” he says. “With our broad crop portfolio, we can accompany them over their lifetime, so to speak, with a complete crop rotation.”
That trust is especially important now, as farmers across the globe are facing fast-paced environment of change. Büchting says the company is working urgently to provide genetic solutions that address climate, pest and regulatory pressures.
“We’ve lost important seed treatments like neonicotinoids in the past years,” he says. “There’s a real opportunity to develop new genetic resistance, even though it takes time.”
KWS also believes to have a clear responsibility to help increase productivity per hectare, especially in regions where the best growing conditions prevail.
“We have an obligation to leverage favorable farming conditions where we can,” Büchting says.
“That way, we don’t have to increase productivity in zones with fragile biodiversity.”
KWS’s emphasis on long-term relationships is evident in its commitment to transparency, communication and listening. Büchting says farmers aren’t just customers — they are collaborators in KWS’s mission to improve agriculture.
“Through our sales and consulting teams we are in constant exchange with our clients,” he says. “We want to understand their challenges, their local conditions, their vision for their farm. That kind of dialogue helps us breed better varieties, and it helps farmers know they have a reliable partner at their side.”
By putting farmers at the center of its strategy, KWS ensures its products are not only innovative, but also practical, resilient and relevant. It’s a relationship rooted in shared goals and mutual respect.
“Most of them are family entrepreneurs like us,” Büchting says. “We speak the same language.”
Looking Forward
As he steers KWS into its third century, Büchting says his goal is to keep the company strong, adaptable and deeply grounded in its values.
“I want the next generation to be aware of our history,” he says. “But not to feel burdened by it. Rather, to see it as a privilege and opportunity.”
Even as the company changes and evolves, Büchting says KWS isn’t just preserving the past. It’s stoking a future full of possibility.
KWS at a Glance
Founded: 1856 in Klein Wanzleben, Germany
Employees: ~5,000
Annual Revenue: €1.7 billion
Countries Active: 70+
Ownership: Publicly traded; ~30% free float, majority family-owned
Core Values: Closeness, Independence, Foresight, Reliability
R&D Investment: €326 million; 1/3 of workforce in R&D
Key Crops: Sugar beet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape, sunflower
Recent Innovations: CR+ sugar beet, InsectPROTECT oilseed rape, certified rye for sustainable feed
Strategic Growth Areas: Genetic solutions for different agricultural demands, e.g. reduced chemical use, vegetables, food ingredients, hybridisation in different crops.
