Moving forward together

Moving forward together

At SeedForward, we see our mission not only in the development, production and distribution of innovative auxiliary materials – we also work on as many levels as possible for the transition to regenerative agriculture.

Think long term – invest in soil

According to the previous logic, everything is done for the crop and the annual yield optimisation, but nothing is done for the soil.

This path leads not only to ecological impoverishment, but also to the economic devaluation of the soil on which water stands when it rains and which is blown away by the wind when it is dry. Once the soil has completely turned to dust, no fertilizer can help. Today we recognize that the methods that initially served food security ultimately lead to a dead end and actually endanger food security in the future. Awareness of this situation is growing worldwide, and projects to develop and implement alternatives are springing up like the proverbial mushrooms.

In harmony with nature

Human economic systems, which generally aim for growth, have so far only had limited success. Collateral damage threatens health, peace, social conditions, ecological foundations and much more. At the same time, there is a functioning and proven economic system that generates infinite growth, constantly creates new things from within itself and knows neither waste nor contaminated sites.

This system is called nature and it is immeasurably powerful.

We believe that we can only do sensible business with nature – we have no chance against it in the long term. In the current discussion about the possibilities of sustainable economic systems, we speak of circular economy, grandchild economy and “triple top-line sustainability”.

It is time to act. Because we have a lot to lose.
Or: a lot to gain!

Two founders, one story

Under the hot sun of South Africa…

two young Germans, who came independently of each other as consultants for various agricultural projects, meet in 2015 in this country where farmers are struggling with severe drought and other growing problems in adapting to climate change. In a professional exchange, the two quickly discover that they think along similar lines. They see the big problem of today’s agriculture in the progressive desertification of the soil worldwide – and something must be done about it.

Agricultural and plant scientist Jan Ritter from Balingen in Baden-Württemberg has been working for some time on the idea of a plant-based soil conditioner.

Jacob Paul Bussmann, a forestry and environmental scientist scientist from Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, gets involved and together they continue to spin the idea until it takes on more and more concrete forms: What about sustainable seed treatment that gives the individual seed as much as possible of what it needs for a healthy start in the field, makes plants more resistant from the outset, inhibits the infestation of fungi and pathogens and at the same time improves the soil?

Support for a good foundation

Things continue to move forward. When the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy grants the start-up SeedForward an Exist start-up grant in early 2017, further funding is made available under the European Climate-KIC Accelerator Programme, and at the end of the year, the StartGreen Award to, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of the Environment as part of the National Climate Initiative, is presented to SeedForward, Ritter and Bussmann see themselves on the home stretch. The newly established Aloys & Brigitte Coppenrath Foundation chooses SeedForward as its first grant recipient.

New partners – Interest from the industry

And progress continues, even if new hurdles have to be overcome again and again. A promising strategic investor suddenly drops out, but eventually new partners are found. And then the day comes when not only people from their own network or funding institutions get in touch when the phone has rung, but also representatives of large companies who have become curious.

Concrete results and market launch

Meanwhile, the seed treatment formulation has been continuously improved with the help of many experiments, and large-scale field trials in the summer of 2018 are achieving such good results that Germany’s leading seed trader L. Stroetmann gets on board and includes the first SeedForward product, MAISGUARD, in its catalogue for spring 2019. Since then, SeedForward has been working with renowned partners from the agricultural sector and has already sold 90,000 ha of MAISGUARD to conventional and organic farms throughout Europe. The product GRAINGUARD was added at the end of 2019 and the market entry of a seed treatment for vegetables is planned for the end of 2020. The product portfolio as well as requests for research collaborations are constantly growing.

And on it goes!

We are looking …

Would you like to work for a good cause in a family-oriented team? Then apply now to SeedForward to join our team!