KWS SE
German family-controlled seed group with 170 years of plant breeding, specialising in sugar beet, corn, cereals and rapeseed genetics sold through national dealer networks in 70-plus countries.
KWS SE is one of the world's leading plant breeding and seed companies, headquartered in Einbeck, Lower Saxony, Germany, with a history spanning more than 170 years. The company develops and commercialises varieties across four main crop segments: sugar beet, corn, cereals and rapeseed. In sugar beet alone, KWS holds approximately one third of the global market. The company operates breeding stations across Europe, North America and South America, with R&D centres in Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, Chile and the United States. Field performance data drawn from more than one million trial plots annually feeds KWS's genomic selection pipeline. National dealer networks, regional subsidiaries and cooperative distribution arrangements distribute KWS varieties to growers in more than 70 countries. The company employs approximately 5,800 people and is majority-controlled by founding families, ensuring long investment cycles consistent with multi-year crop breeding programmes. KWS reported annual revenue exceeding EUR 1.7 billion.
- Type
- Manufacturer
- Location
- Einbeck, Germany
- Founded
- 1856
- Website
- kws.com
- Categories
- Seeds, Fertilizers & Agro-inputs
- Markets
- Germany, France, Poland, Romania, United States, Brazil, China, Ukraine, Hungary, Spain
Verified facts
- domain-registered (green), checked 2026-08-02 Domain registry record
- certificate-page-on-site (amber), checked 2026-08-11 Company's own certification page
- vat-valid (green), checked 2026-08-21 VIES (European Commission)
- lei-lapsed (amber), checked 2026-08-23 GLEIF global LEI register (golden copy)
Profiles
Claimed certifications
- ISO 9001, Quality Management IAF CertSearch
- ISO 14001, Environmental Management IAF CertSearch
Import rules for these goods
- Seeds and live plants entering the EU need a phytosanitary certificate and pre-notification under the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. European Commission (plant health)