BayWa AG (until 1972: ''Bayerische Warenvermittlung landwirtschaftlicher Genossenschaften AG'') is an internationally active group

headquartered Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany. Originally founded to support domestic

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, the company expanded its activities to the

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

and

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

sectors. BayWa is represented in more than 50

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

through its

subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...

and holdings. The

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

structure is still determined by the

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

sector, which has shaped the corporate culture since its founding.

History

Foundation and early years

BayWa's history goes back to the Bayerische Zentral-Darlehenskasse (BZDK), which was founded in 1893, and was active in both the

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

ing and

commodities In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that specifically has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them. Th ...

business. One of its central tasks was to enable

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

s to purchase means of production at low cost and to market their products profitably. In 1920, the BZDK had hundreds of

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...

s for

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

, artificial fertilizers, feedstuffs, and

machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromol ...

ry, mainly in

southern Germany Southern Germany (, ) is a region of Germany that includes the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, which includes the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia in present-day Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and the southern portion of Hesse ...

. As a result of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, economic conditions steadily deteriorated. The devaluation of cash and

bank deposits A deposit account is a bank account maintained by a financial institution in which a customer can deposit and withdraw money. Deposit accounts can be savings accounts, current accounts or any of several other types of accounts explained below. ...

led to

hyperinflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real versus nominal value (economics), real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimiz ...

, which prompted the BZDK to separate its banking and

merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...

business. The

general meeting A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

on January 17, 1923, thus marked the founding of the ''Bayerische Warenvermittlung landwirtschaftlicher Genossenschaften'' in the legal form of a

stock corporation A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholder ...

. In the

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

, ''BayWa'' became established as the short form of the company. From the beginning, the company focused on modern agriculture, especially through its range of machinery and services for

repair The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installat ...

. In order to become less dependent on business in Germany, grain was also exported to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

from 1927. As a result, BayWa's sales exceeded the 100 million

Reichsmark The (; sign: ℛ︁ℳ︁; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, and in the American, British and French occupied zones of Germany, until 20 June 1948. The Reichsmark was then replace ...

mark for the first time. The takeover of power by the

National Socialists Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

also brought drastic changes for the agricultural and

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...

. From 1933, all agricultural organizations were brought into line. In 1934, the unification of the Bavarian cooperative system was ordered. Political influence on the company continued to grow. When Josef Haselberger, then

chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

, died in 1935, the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

appointed Friedrich Eichinger as his successor. He led the company until the end of National Socialism. After the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, BayWa switched to a wartime economy in 1939. The company played a prominent role in "safeguarding the Reich's food supply. For example, BayWa convinced farmers of the production-enhancing effect of artificial fertilizer. In order to meet the requirements of the rulers alone, BayWa employed an additional workforce of almost 700 during this period. The company archives do not provide any information on whether forced laborers were among them, but it can be assumed that they were.

Reconstruction after the Second World War

In the course of the Second World War, 23 BayWa warehouses were destroyed. The headquarters in Munich was also affected by the Allied bombing raids. By the end of the war in 1945, 512 of around 6,000 employees had died; 487 were missing or in captivity. With the aim of denazification, all members of the

Board of Management A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

and Supervisory Board had to vacate their posts in 1945. In addition, dozens of managers were dismissed. Their successors initially took office on an interim basis. Josef Singer took over as chairman of the Board of Management of BayWa. Due to its strategic importance for supplying the population with food, BayWa received early approval from the U.S. military government to resume its business operations as well as nationwide shipments. The 1950s were marked by

structural change In economics, structural change is a shift or change in the basic ways a market or economy functions or operates. Such change can be caused by such factors as economic development, global shifts in capital and labor, changes in resource availabil ...

in agriculture. In the countryside, there was a lack of personnel for the steady expansion of agricultural operations, as the growing industry became more attractive to many workers. BayWa responded by expanding its range of machinery as well as maintenance and services in the technology sector.

Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

combine harvester The modern combine harvester, also called a combine, is a machine designed to harvest a variety of cultivated seeds. Combine harvesters are one of the most economically important labour-saving inventions, significantly reducing the fraction of ...

forage harvester A forage harvesteralso known as a silage harvester, forager or chopperis a farm implement that harvests forage plants to make silage. Silage is grass, corn or hay, which has been chopped into small pieces, and compacted together in a storage silo ...

s and

milking machines A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

were in particular demand. The increased consumption of meat also necessitated more animal fattening, so that the steady rise in sales of concentrated feed compensated for the drop in sales of hay and straw. Agricultural mechanization and automation continued throughout the 1960s, and 1970s. At the same time, the company benefited from the real estate boom that began in the 1950s, and continued through the 1960s, and 1970s. The sale of building materials developed into an important mainstay. The company also laid the foundation for BayWa DIY

superstores A big-box store, a hyperstore, a supercenter, a superstore, or a megastore is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The ...

and garden centers in 1975, to establish another sales channel. The sale of

heating oil Heating oil is any petroleum product or other oil used for heating; it is a fuel oil. Most commonly, it refers to low viscosity grades of fuel oil used for furnaces or boilers for home heating and in other buildings. Home heating oil is often ...

and other lubricants formed the basis for BayWa's network of

filling station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

s in the 1950s, with which the company wanted to reflect the desire for

individual mobility Individual human mobility is the study that describes how individual humans move within a network or system. The concept has been studied in a number of fields originating in the study of demographics. Understanding human mobility has many appl ...

Organizational changes and international expansion

The expansion of business activities from the agricultural sector to the

and energy industries led to significant growth in BayWa's sales. In 1959, this exceeded the one billion

Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...

mark for the first time and by the end of the 1960s, had already exceeded the two billion mark. In 1970, BayWa was the first company in the industry to introduce

electronic data processing Electronic data processing (EDP) or business information processing can refer to the use of automated methods to process commercial data. Typically, this uses relatively simple, repetitive activities to process large volumes of similar information ...

into its operations. To improve efficiency of internal document management,

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

scanners were used on a large scale, capable of processing more than 100,000 documents a day. In order to reflect the change in the company's external image, the ''Bayerische Warenvermittlung landwirtschaftlicher Genossenschaften'' was officially renamed BayWa on July 13, 1972. In addition, the personal union of the Board of Management with the Bayerische Raiffeisen-Zentralkasse (BRZ), which had been established in the 1960s, was abandoned.

Otl Aicher Otto "Otl" Aicher (; 13 May 1922 – 1 September 1991) was a German graphic designer and typographer. Aicher co-founded and taught at the influential Ulm School of Design. He is known for having led the design team of the 1972 Summer Olympics ...

, who also designed the

corporate design A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

for the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

in Munich, created a new

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

for the company. The green square is still used today. In the 1980s, trends such as environmental protection and electronics opened up new opportunities for the company's business. Nevertheless, BayWa had to contend with structural problems in the agricultural sector as well as the construction industry. In response to the

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

downturn, the company introduced a divisional organization in 1986. However, the collapse of Bayerische Raiffeisen-Zentralbank (BRZ) was decisive for this decade. BayWa's main shareholder had run into trouble due to speculation on the

real estate market Real estate business is the profession of buying, leasing, managing, or selling real estate (commercial, industrial, residential, or mixed-use premises)."Real estate": Oxford English Dictionary online: Retrieved September 18, 2011 Marketing and ...

. Bayerische Raiffeisen-Beteiligungs-Aktiengesellschaft took its place. After

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, BayWa also became involved in the new federal states and set up locations in

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, and

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. In doing so, it cooperated with the ''Bäuerliche Handelsgenossenschaft'' (BHG) and also relied on a franchise system. In 1994/1995, BayWa also became active in

through acquisitions. With the help of existing subsidiaries, it was also able to expand its business to

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

(

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

). In order to grow not only internationally but also in the domestic market, Württembergische Warenzentrale was acquired in the early 2000s.

Recent developments

At the end of the 2000s, BayWa's

business model A business model describes how a Company, business organization creates, delivers, and captures value creation, value,''Business Model Generation'', Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, and 470 practitioners from 45 countries, self-pub ...

and organizational structure proved to be no longer fit for the future. Following his appointment as chairman of the Board of Management in 2008, Klaus Josef Lutz initiated a comprehensive restructuring program designed to drive innovation while still preserving the company's historical roots. The new strategy prioritized both the diversification of business activities and the

internationalization Internationalization or Internationalisation is the process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization. Internationalization is a crucial strategy not only for ...

of BayWa. One example of this is the establishment of the renewable energies business sector, which now accounts for the largest share of Group profit. Since 2021,

Energy Infrastructure Partners Energy () is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat and light. Energy is a conserved quantity—the law of conservation of energy sta ...

owns 49% of the BayWa r.e. subsidiary. By acquiring the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

r ''Cefetra'' and the

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

trader ''Turners & Growers'', BayWa secured a stronger position in global competition in agricultural trade, both in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Own innovations and acquisitions of other suppliers made BayWa an important market player in digital farming. Today, BayWa's activities cover the entirety of the agricultural supply chain, from seed production and crop protection through to

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...

. Additionally, the company has a synergistic presence in the energy, and building materials sectors.

Corporate affairs

Shareholders

The

share capital A corporation's share capital, commonly referred to as capital stock in the United States, is the portion of a corporation's equity that has been derived by the issue of shares in the corporation to a shareholder, usually for cash. ''Share ...

of BayWa Aktiengesellschaft amounted to approximately €90 million as of December 31, 2019. The shares are traded on the

Frankfurt Stock Exchange The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (, former German name: , ''FWB'') is the world's 3rd oldest and 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It has operations from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ( German time). Organisation Located in Frankfurt, ...

and the Munich Stock Exchange as well as via Xetra. They are part of the Prime Standard of

Deutsche Börse Deutsche Börse AG (), or the Deutsche Börse Group, is a German multinational corporation that offers a marketplace for organizing the trading of shares and other securities. It is also a transaction services provider, giving companies and inv ...

, a legally regulated

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...

segment with the highest admission requirements. The shareholder structure of BayWa Aktiengesellschaft is determined by Raiffeisen companies from Germany and Austria. BayWa Aktiengesellschaft's

Articles of Association In corporate governance, a company's articles of association (AoA, called articles of incorporation in some jurisdictions) is a document that, along with the memorandum of association (where applicable), forms the company's constitution. The ...

intentionally restrict the group of shareholders in order to preserve the

character of the company. BayWa's largest shareholder is ''Bayerische Raiffeisen-Beteiligungsgesellschaft'' (34.75%), based in

Beilngries Beilngries (; ) is a town in the district of Eichstätt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, 30 km north of Ingolstadt. Sons and daughters of the city * Rosa Aschenbrenner (1885-19 ...

. It is joined by ''Raiffeisen Agrar Invest'' (25.01%) based in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Around 40% of the shares are in free float, so that the corresponding threshold for inclusion in the

SDAX The SDAX (German abbreviation for ''Small-Cap-deutsche Aktienindex'') is a stock market index composed of 70 small and medium-sized companies in Germany. These so-called 'Small cap company, small caps' rank directly below the MDAX (mid-cap) shar ...

is reached.

Boards

The

of ''BayWa Aktiengesellschaft'' consists of several, but no more than nine, members. They are appointed by the supervisory board for a term of up to five years. Multiple appointments are possible so that the term of office is de facto not limited. The supervisory board appoints the chairman of the Board of Management. The Articles of Association stipulate that one member of the Board of Management should be mainly responsible for human resources and social affairs. Further details on the allocation of duties in the management board are governed by rules of procedure. Currently (as of April 2021), there are four members of the Board. These are Klaus Josef Lutz (

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

) and Andreas Helber (

Chief Financial Officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

), as well as Marcus Pöllinger and Reinhard Wolf. The Supervisory Board of BayWa Aktiengesellschaft consists of sixteen members. Re-election is possible so that the term of office of members of the supervisory board is not limited. The supervisory board appoints a chairman and at least one deputy chairman from among its members. Currently (as of July 2020), four women and twelve men are members of the supervisory board. Its Chairman is Manfred Nüssel,

Honorary President A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

of the German Raiffeisen Association. His deputies are Werner Waschbichler and Klaus Buchleitner. BayWa Aktiengesellschaft's Articles of Association provide for a Cooperative Advisory Council. This accompanies and supports the work of the Board of Management and the supervisory board. Its members are selected by the Board of Management and, with the approval of the supervisory board, appointed by the Board of Management for a period of up to four years. This may also be repeated. Currently (as of July 2020), the board has 28 members, including main representatives of various cooperatives, associations, and from politics in Germany and Austria. Karl-Heinz Kipke chairs the committee and is represented by Manfred Nüssel.

Financials

Businesses

Energy

In addition to heating oil, BayWa also sells other

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

s and

lubricant A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, ...

s. Its range also includes energy sources such as

wood pellets Pellet fuels (or pellets) are a type of solid fuel made from compressed organic material. Pellets can be made from any one of five general categories of Biomass (energy), biomass: industrial waste and co-products, food waste, Crop residue, agricul ...

and heating solutions, for example for classic oil and gas heating systems. The company also issues a fuel card for private and commercial customers that are accepted at numerous filling stations and at an increasing number of

charging station A charging station, also known as a charge point, chargepoint, or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a power supply electrical device, device that supplies electrical power for recharging plug-in electric vehicles (including batter ...

s for

electric cars An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger automobile that is propelled by an electric traction motor, using electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a plug-in electric vehicle, typ ...

. BayWa is also active as an

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

provider, operating e-charging stations and

LNG Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume o ...

filling stations as well as billing systems. The renewable energy segment comprises the

planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the cap ...

, development, and realization of projects in the field of

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

and

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

, as well as their sale and operational management, and the marketing of the energy generated. The Group is active in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Europe, Asia, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Agriculture

The BayWa Group covers the entire value chain of the

agricultural industry Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food ...

, i.e. from the production to the marketing of agricultural products. It does not operate any agricultural businesses itself. The range of services includes the trading and logistics of

raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials/Intermediate goods that are feedstock for future finished ...

s as well as the sale of operating resources and feedstuffs. It also sells new and used machinery for agricultural operations, including maintenance and repair. Internationally, BayWa is one of the most important players in the

and

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

trade and markets

pome fruit In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by an ...

tropical fruit There are many fruits that typically grow in warm tropical climates or equatorial areas. Tropical fruits Varieties of tropical fruit include: * Abiu * Açaí * Acerola (West Indian cherry; Barbados cherry) * Achachairú (Bolivian mangosteen; ...

, and other fruit and vegetable products worldwide.

Building Materials

BayWa's building materials trade is aimed at private builders, commercial contractors, craft businesses, and

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. It is handled via

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

and

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

. The product range includes building materials for building construction and

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

, new construction as well as

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

and modernization, and also for

gardening Gardening is the process of growing plants for their vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and appearances within a designated space. Gardens fulfill a wide assortment of purposes, notably the production of Aesthetics, aesthetically pleasing area ...

and

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

Innovation & Digitalization

The Innovation & Digitalization Segment comprises BayWa's activities in

e-business Electronic business (also known as online business or e-business) is any kind of business or commercial activity that includes sharing information across the internet. Commerce constitutes the exchange of products and services between businesses, ...

and digital farming. The Group prepares data for agriculture so that it is available for practical use in the field. Examples of this are area-accurate forecasts of nutrient and water requirements or harvest forecasts. The company relies primarily on satellite data for this purpose.

Corporate and social responsibility

The BayWa Foundation was established by BayWa in 1998 to support educational projects. The focus is on healthy nutrition and regenerative energy. One example is the establishment of

school garden A school garden is an area designated for students to learn how to grow plants and produce at their schools. They are commonly established to improve students' health, social development, and academic achievement. History The value of school gar ...

s to improve the nutritional behavior of elementary school children. A special feature is that every

donation A donation is a gift for Charity (practice), charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, Service (economics), services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donati ...

received by the foundation is doubled. Since the 2014/2015 season, BayWa has been the official main and jersey sponsor of the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

department of

FC Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional association foo ...

.Verbundenheit schafft Erfolg.
Partnerschaft: Die BayWa AG bleibt eine weitere Saison Haupt- und Trikotsponsor des FC Bayern Basketball. FC Bayern München Basketball, 20 July 2020, retrieved 21 July 2020 (Pressemitteilung). This is BayWa's largest sports sponsorship to date. The cooperation was most recently extended for another year in July 2020. BayWa also supports other campaigns and

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

s of the club, including in the area of

social responsibility Social responsibility is an ethical concept in which a person works and cooperates with other people and organizations for the benefit of the community. An organization can demonstrate social responsibility in several ways, for instance, by do ...

and

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baywa 1923 establishments in Germany Agriculture companies established in 1923 Agriculture companies of Germany Business services companies established in 1923 Commodities traders Companies based in Munich German companies established in 1923 Home improvement companies Oil companies of Germany Retail companies of Germany Companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Stock and station agencies