FORWARD TOGETHER
At SEEDFORWARD, a wide variety of personalities work towards a common goal. This requires many talents and sound know-how. Scientific expertise and pragmatic organization. Inventive spirit and tenacity. An obsession with detail and a sense of the big picture. And last but not least, the shared joy of progress.
Founder & CEO
Founder & CTO
Research & Development
Research & Development
Research & Development
Office Management & Purchase
Office Management, HR & Accounting
Product Management & Marketing
Research & Development
Project Management
Product Management & Sales
Product Management & Sales
Sales International
Office Management & Internal Sales
Facility Management
HR Management
Research & Development, Product Management
Production & Techn. Facility Management
Research & Development
Research & Development
Content & Community Management
Sales France
Working Student
Controlling
OUR VISION AND MISSION
At SEEDFORWARD, we do not see our mission solely in the development, production and distribution of natural seed treatments - we work on as many levels as possible for the transition to regenerative agriculture.
THINK LONGTERM, DEVELOP SOLUTIONS
At SEEDFORWARD, our mission is to develop future-proof solutions for farmers to overcome current challenges such as climate change and changing legal regulations. Our focus is on the development, production and marketing of natural seed treatments that are tailored to the specific needs of the target crops and support healthy plant and root growth from the outset, providing the best conditions for stable yields.
Our long-term vision is regenerative agriculture with healthy soils and sustainable, efficient production of high-quality food and feed. Intensive research and development work according to strict scientific standards and close cooperation with farmers form the basis for this. We attach great importance to developing real solutions for agriculture, thereby contributing to safeguarding yields and thus positioning agriculture securely for the future.
IN HARMONY WITH NATURE
Human economic systems, which generally aim at growth, have so far only been successful to a limited extent. Collateral damage threatens health, peace, social conditions, ecological foundations and much more. Yet there is a functioning and proven economic system that generates infinite growth, creates new things from within itself again and again, and knows neither waste nor legacy.
This system is called nature and it is immeasurably powerful.
We believe that we can only do business sensibly with nature - we have no chance against it in the long term. In the current discussion about possibilities of sustainable economic systems, we talk about circular economy, grandchildren's economy and triple top-line sustainability.
It is time to act. Because we have a lot to lose.
Or: much to gain!
TWO FOUNDERS, ONE STORY
UNDER THE HOT SOUTH AFRICAN SUN
two young Germans get to meet each other back in 2015. They have come to this country independently as consultants for various agricultural projects, where farmers are struggling with severe drought and other growing problems in adapting to climate change. In their professional exchange, the two quickly discover that they tick quite similarly. They see major challenges in today's agriculture in the lack of resilience to global climatic changes and the sometimes heavily stressed soils - and the two want to do something about it!
Jan Ritter, an agricultural and plant scientist from Balingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg, has been working on the idea of a natural soil conditioner for a while.
Jacob Paul Rohn, a forestry and environmental scientist from Osnabrueck in Lower Saxony, gets on board and together they continue to spin the idea until it takes on more and more concrete form:
How about a sustainable seed treatment that gives the individual seed all it needs for a healthy start in the field, making plants more resilient from the start, and strengthening shoot and root growth while improving the soil?
ON THE SPOT
The first tests are carried out on the spot and achieve positive results. The two set up a company in South Africa, but soon realize that successful development is extremely difficult under the circumstances there.
A FRESH BEGINNING IN GERMANY
But they don't want to give up their goal - so they return to Germany. Here, Jan immerses himself in research and development, Jacob single-mindedly builds up a network with researchers at the universities of Osnabrueck and Oldenburg as well as various specialist institutes and commercial enterprises and looks for ways to obtain funding.
PROMOTION FOR A GOOD FOUNDATION
Moving forward. When the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection grants the start-up SEEDFORWARD an Exist start-up grant at the beginning of 2017, further funding is made available as part of the European Climate-KIC Accelerator Program, and at the end of the year the StartGreen Award, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment as part of the National Climate Initiative, is awarded to SeedForward, Ritter and Rohn see themselves in the home stretch. The freshly founded Aloys & Brigitte Coppenrath Foundation selects SEEDFORWARD as its first grant recipient. In the years that follow, government funding projects continue to enable further research and development work.
NEW PARTNERS - INTEREST FROM THE INDUSTRY
And things continue to move forward, even though there are always new hurdles to overcome. A promising strategic investor suddenly drops out, but eventually new partners are found. And then comes the day when not only people from your own network or funding institutions get in touch when the phone rings, but also representatives of large companies who have become curious.
CONCRETE RESULTS AND MARKET INTRODUCTION
Scientific research in the laboratory and greenhouse, as well as broad-based field trials, lead to formulation improvements so that seed treatments not only perform in the field but also meet all other parameters, such as Heubach values and sowing and flowability.
In spring 2019, MAISGUARD, SEEDFORWARD's first product, will be commercially available. GRAINGUARD and LEGUGUARD, two other crop-specific seed treatments, are now established in the market. SEEDFORWARD works with various renowned partners in the agricultural industry. In 2023 SEEDFORWARD already sold GUARD products for 270,000 ha of conventional and organic farms throughout Europe.
The product portfolio, as well as requests for research collaborations, are constantly growing.
And it goes on!