Vision and mission – our strategic foundation

Since its founding in 1856 and the first steps in sugarbeet breeding, KWS has seen an impressive development, both in terms of geographical setup and plant diversity. From a focus on sugar processing and the first breeding steps, we have become a key player in the field of plant breeding and seed production, with an impressive portfolio and exceptional know-how. We have achieved this with the rare prerequisites of a family business and a pure seed specialist.

We trust that these strengths will also guide our successful future, complemented by our vision "Seeding the future for generations", our mission "Our passion for plants sustains farming, food and planet" and our corporate values.

Goals and strategy

As part of the revision of our strategic planning in fiscal year 2024/2025, we have revised our targets for profitable growth.

In the medium-term period 2025-2028, we are now aiming for annual organic sales growth of 3-5% and profitability in an EBITDA margin range of 19-21%. At the same time, we intend to continue to invest continuously and significantly in our research and development in the future. In light of the structural improvement in KWS's financial position and previous dividend payments at the upper end of the previous payout ratio of 20 to 25%, KWS aims to increase the payout ratio of 25 to 30% (of the result after taxes adjusted for portfolio and other one-off effects) in line with future profit development and capital allocation priorities. As in the past, KWS places great importance to the long-term continuity of dividend development.

Further information on our key financial figures can be found here.

To achieve these goals, KWS has defined clear fields of action in order to continue to grow successfully in the future:

Lead: We want to further expand our market positions in established agricultural crops and defend our leading position. With a comprehensive product portfolio geared to the needs of our customers, we want to continue to make an important contribution to sustainable agricultural practices and comprehensive crop rotation in the future.

Build: In the long term, we also want to intensify our activities in areas where we can tap into additional value potential, such as vegetable seeds.

Advance: Breeding innovations play a fundamental role in our business model. To successfully develop products with agronomic added value in the long term, we want to exploit the full potential of hybrid breeding and new breeding technologies such as genome editing.

People make the difference

Motivated and qualified colleagues are the key to our success. Attracting, retaining and nurturing talent is key. As an international seed company, our goal is to provide a supportive working environment and the right development opportunities for individual career paths. With various offers and programs, we are continuously working to be a highly attractive employer in the seed industry.

Focus on sustainability

As a pure seed specialist, our commitment to sustainable agriculture is embedded in everything we do. Every breeding progress is a contribution to producing more with fewer resources, and thus also an important building block for feeding a growing world population. We want to continue to provide our customers with the best possible product to meet the requirements of their local conditions and new agronomic and climatic challenges. For us, this means keeping an eye on political and social developments to adapt our breeding activities in such a way that yields are secured, the use of fertilizers and pesticides is reduced, and the overall resilience of the plants is strengthened.

With our Sustainability Ambition 2030, we have set ourselves concrete goals that we are continuously working on. Further information can be found here.