Fenaco
Fenaco is a Swiss farmer-owned cooperative that runs an integrated farm-to-table value chain across agricultural inputs (UFA), food processing (RAMSEIER, Frigemo, Ernst Sutter), retail (Volg, LANDI), and energy (AGROLA), serving over 23,000 active Swiss farmer-members and Swiss consumers through 133 LANDI cooperatives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Fenaco does
Fenaco Genossenschaft is a Swiss agricultural cooperative founded in 1993 from the merger of six predecessor cooperative associations with roots extending over 150 years. It is owned by 133 LANDI regional cooperatives and their more than 39,000 members, including more than 23,000 active Swiss farmers, who are simultaneously customers, produce suppliers, and equity holders, with profits partially returned through the Erfolgsbeteiligung scheme. Fenaco operates an integrated farm-to-table value chain across four strategic business fields: Agro (UFA animal feed, seeds, crop protection, advisory via LANDI), Food Industry (RAMSEIER beverages, Frigemo potato processing, Ernst Sutter meat alternatives), Retail (Volg and LANDI store chains serving Swiss consumers), and Energy (AGROLA fuels and renewable energy, including 80-kilowatt agricultural biogas plants producing ~400,000 kWh per year).
The revenue model is a mix of B2B agricultural input sales to farmer-members, B2B/B2C food and beverage manufacturing (including private-label beer where RAMSEIER produces over 35 million litres annually), and consumer retail through Volg and LANDI stores, supplemented by energy distribution through AGROLA stations and profit-sharing rebates to member-farmers. Recorded net revenue reached CHF 8.06 billion in 2022 with EBIT of CHF 138.4 million and a 1.7% return on sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for most offerings; the only transparent element is the member rebate tier where annual purchases above CHF 2,500 at LANDI or Meliofeed trigger a mailed gift package.
Distribution is fundamentally physical-asset-intensive and geography-bound: 133 LANDI cooperatives and the Volg retail network provide a nationwide Swiss footprint that competitors would need years of capex to replicate. Technology and sustainability investments include the TerraScan aerial soil-analysis service, on-site wastewater treatment at Frigemo producing 7,000 m³ of recycling fertilizer per year, the YASAI vertical-farming pilot, the crop.zone electric-weed-control partnership, and a Swiss-malting barley program with IG Mittellandmalz that delivers ~1,500 tonnes of malt annually. The company is in active expansion mode, having acquired Austrian wild-bird-feed producer Rolli-Pet in 2025 and a majority stake in SwissVets SA in 2026, alongside a top-team refresh including a new CEO, Agro Division head, and Board President during 2025-2026.
Fenaco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fenaco
- Legal name
- fenaco Genossenschaft
- Website
- https://fenaco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Fenaco is a Swiss farmer-owned cooperative that runs an integrated farm-to-table value chain across agricultural inputs (UFA), food processing (RAMSEIER, Frigemo, Ernst Sutter), retail (Volg, LANDI), and energy (AGROLA), serving over 23,000 active Swiss farmer-members and Swiss consumers through 133 LANDI cooperatives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fenaco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Cooperative Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farmer Cooperatives & Co-op Retail (AFABAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Agronomy Advisory & Field Services (Retailer-Affiliated) (AFABAJAH)
Keywords
Where Fenaco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bern
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Fenaco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | CHF 2,500–5,000 annual purchases: Gift package only |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fenaco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fenaco is an agricultural cooperative that supplies Swiss farmers with agricultural inputs (UFA animal feed, seeds, fertilizers, crop protection, advisory), offtakes and processes farm produce into food and beverages (RAMSEIER juices and beers, Frigemo potato products, Ernst Sutter meat alternatives), distributes food and consumer goods through the Volg and LANDI retail networks, and supplies energy through AGROLA stations — operating end-to-end from farm to table under a cooperative ownership model.
Product overview
Fenaco is an agricultural cooperative operating along the entire food value chain from farm to table, organized in four strategic business fields: Agro, Food Industry, Retail Trade, and Energy. The company manages a portfolio of well-known brands including UFA (animal feed), RAMSEIER (beverages), Volg (retail), LANDI (agricultural retail), AGROLA (energy), and Frigemo (potato processing). These brands serve Swiss farmers, food producers, and consumers through integrated distribution networks, with products ranging from animal feed and agricultural inputs to finished beverages and consumer retail.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- UFA: Leading animal feed company in Switzerland, producing and selling feed, mineral salts, and specialties under UFA and Hypona brands for horses
- RAMSEIER
- Volg
- LANDI
- AGROLA
Products and services
- UFA Animal Feed Leading Swiss animal feed brand producing and selling fodder, mineral salts, and high-quality specialties for agricultural and hobby animal keeping, including the Hypona horse feed line. UFA is a wholly-owned fenaco subsidiary and the Swiss market leader in animal feed.
Quantifiable outcome
- fenaco achieved CHF 8.06 billion net revenue in 2022 with EBIT of CHF 138.4 million and return on sales of 1.7%
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Fenaco
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fenaco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Fenaco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SwissVetscoreFenaco acquired a majority stake in SwissVets SA, a veterinary services company. This partnership strengthens fenaco's presence in the animal health and agricultural services sector, providing veterinary services to livestock farmers.
- QuicklineminorFenaco acquired a minority stake in Quickline, a telecommunications company. The objective is to strengthen digital infrastructure in rural regions, supporting connectivity for agricultural operations and LANDI cooperatives.
- World Food System Center of ETH ZurichcoreFenaco and the World Food System Center of ETH Zurich launched a joint research initiative at the interface of agriculture, sustainable production systems, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The collaboration focuses on smart sustainable farming technologies.
- crop.zoneminorFenaco entered a strategic collaboration with crop.zone to develop an innovative and sustainable weed control method using electrical charge technology. This reduces the use of plant protection products, supporting fenaco's sustainability goals.
- YASAI (ETH spinoff)minorFenaco National Products, a strategic business unit of fenaco, partnered with YASAI, an ETH Zurich spinoff, to build an industrial-scale vertical farming pilot project in Zurich, Switzerland. This investment supports fenaco's innovation in sustainable food production.
- IG Mittellandmalz (Interessengemeinschaft Mittellandmalz)coreFenaco, through UFA-Samen, partners with IG Mittellandmalz to develop Swiss-grown malting barley and support the Swiss malting industry. IG Mittellandmalz led the establishment of the Swiss Maltery in Möriken-Wildegg (AG), enabling domestic malt production from Swiss-grown barley.
- Schweizer Mälzerei Möriken-WildeggcoreThe Swiss Maltery in Möriken-Wildegg, founded in partnership with IG Mittellandmalz, produces approximately 1,500 tonnes of malt annually from three 10-tonne drums. This enables 100% Swiss-origin malt for Swiss breweries.
- HAFL (Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften)coreFenaco partners with HAFL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) for research and advisory support in malting barley cultivation, agricultural best practices, and sustainable farming techniques.
- Cercle des Agriculteurs de Genève (CAG)minorIn Romandie, CAG serves as fenaco's partner cooperative developing the regional market for malting barley and malt under the GRTA cantonal label, with ~15 Geneva breweries producing beers with Geneva malt from CAG's Satigny maltery. LANDI stores sell these beers (~30,000 units/year).
- Ernst Sutter (YUP products)minorErnst Sutter, a fenaco company, produces YUP meat alternative products using brewer's spent grain (Treber) from the beer brewing process, closing the loop in the farm-to-table value chain.
- Rolli-Pet Tiernahrung GmbHminorIn September 2025, fenaco acquired Rolli-Pet Tiernahrung GmbH, a leading European producer of wild bird feed from the Erbo Group, based in Austria. This acquisition broadens fenaco's activities in the animal feed and animal health business.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fenaco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Migros Industrie / Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund: Switzerland's largest retailer and a cooperative federation that owns industrial-scale food production (micarna, Midor, etc.). Directly overlaps fenaco's retail (Volg/LANDI) and food industry divisions and competes in private-label and Swiss-origin positioning.
- Bell Food Group: Swiss meat, poultry, charcuterie and convenience food producer. Comparable as a vertically integrated Swiss food processor relying on domestic agricultural supply, with branded retail products and B2B food-service contracts that overlap with fenaco's Frigemo potato processing and Ernst Sutter operations.
- Emmi Group: Swiss dairy and food cooperative, publicly listed (SIX). Closest structural analog to fenaco — a major Swiss agricultural cooperative integrating farmer production into branded dairy/food products with national retail reach. Comparable cooperative governance, Switzerland-only focus, farmer-supplier model, and similar revenue scale.
- Coop (Switzerland): Swiss retail and wholesale cooperative with its own production facilities (e.g., Coop Production). Competes directly with Volg/LANDI on retail shelf space and with fenaco/RAMSEIER on private-label beverages and food. Strong overlap on distribution to active Swiss farmers (Coop Bau & Hobby, Landi-adjacent assortment).
- Feldschlösschen Getränke AG (Carlsberg Group): Leading Swiss brewery owned by Carlsberg Group, producing beverages including private-label beers for the Swiss retail trade. Directly comparable to RAMSEIER Suisse in brewing, private-label beverage manufacturing, and Swiss retail distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Cargill: One of the world's largest agribusiness and food-ingredient traders. Comparable as a broad incumbent spanning agricultural inputs, commodity trading, animal nutrition, and food processing, all of which intersect with fenaco's UFA, Frigemo, and SIG-positioning businesses; differs in scale and global vs. domestic footprint.
- McCain Foods: Global leader in frozen potato products (fries, croquettes, flakes). Direct comparator for fenaco/Frigemo (~50,000 tonnes/year of potato processing). Demonstrates the scale and capital-intensity of the frozen potato category fenaco plays in.
- Syngenta Group: Swiss-headquartered global agricultural inputs and seeds company. Comparable in the agrochemical/seed business where fenaco distributes via LANDI, but Syngenta operates at much larger global scale and competes with fenaco/UFA-Samen for farmer mindshare and input wallet.
- ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): Global agricultural processor and nutrition (animal feed, food ingredients, oilseeds) with Swiss and European operations through European protein and feed brands (e.g., Neovia historical assets). Comparable corporate scope to fenaco's feed/processing platform, though fenaco is Switzerland-focused and cooperative-owned.
Emerging players
- Bonduelle Group: European leader in canned and frozen vegetables and processed plant-based foods. Adjacent comparable to fenaco's preserved/plant-based food positioning (Ernst Sutter YUP, Frigemo), particularly relevant as fenaco builds meat-alternative and vertical-farming capacity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fenaco social profiles
Digital presenceFenaco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fenaco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Fenaco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Fenaco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fenaco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fenaco
What does Fenaco do?
Fenaco is an agricultural cooperative that supplies Swiss farmers with agricultural inputs (UFA animal feed, seeds, fertilizers, crop protection, advisory), offtakes and processes farm produce into food and beverages (RAMSEIER juices and beers, Frigemo potato products, Ernst Sutter meat alternatives), distributes food and consumer goods through the Volg and LANDI retail networks, and supplies energy through AGROLA stations — operating end-to-end from farm to table under a cooperative ownership model.
Is Fenaco a public or private company?
Fenaco is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Fenaco founded?
Fenaco was founded in 1993. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Fenaco based?
Fenaco is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
Who are Fenaco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Migros Industrie / Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund, Bell Food Group, Emmi Group, Coop (Switzerland) and Feldschlösschen Getränke AG (Carlsberg Group). Broad incumbents are Cargill, McCain Foods, Syngenta Group and ADM (Archer Daniels Midland). Bonduelle Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fenaco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fenaco.
What industry is Fenaco in?
Fenaco's product category is Agricultural Cooperative Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABAJAB, Farmer Cooperatives & Co-op Retail, with a secondary code of AFABAJAH, Agronomy Advisory & Field Services (Retailer-Affiliated). Its NAICS code is 115 and its SIC code is 700.