RWZ
RWZ (Raiffeisen Waren-Zentrale Rhein-Main AG) is one of Germany's oldest and largest agricultural traders, headquartered in Cologne, providing wholesale commodity trading, retail agricultural supplies, energy distribution, and agricultural technology services to farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners across Germany, France, Austria, and Benelux.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1952
- HeadquartersCologne, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
RWZ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RWZ
- Legal name
- Raiffeisen Waren-Zentrale Rhein-Main AG
- Website
- https://rwz.de
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1952
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- RWZ (Raiffeisen Waren-Zentrale Rhein-Main AG) is one of Germany's oldest and largest agricultural traders, headquartered in Cologne, providing wholesale commodity trading, retail agricultural supplies, energy distribution, and agricultural technology services to farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners across Germany, France, Austria, and Benelux.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RWZ industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Trading
- NAICS
- Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245), Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510), Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491), Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42382)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Import/Export & Cross-Border Food Commodity Trading (AFAIAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Farm Supply Retail (Independent Dealers) (AFABAJAA), Import / Export Produce Wholesale (Cross-Border Trading) (AFAIACAH)
Keywords
Where RWZ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cologne
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
RWZ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Agricultural Commodity Trading: Wholesale trading of agricultural commodities including grain, rapeseed, and potatoes. The company bundles purchasing and sales volumes in the agricultural value chain.
- Agricultural Retail: Retail sales of agricultural inputs and supplies to farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners. Provides everything needed for agricultural production.
- Energy Business: Mineral oil business including heating oil, diesel, and gasoline distribution through the newly formed Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbH subsidiary.
- Agricultural Technology: Agricultural machinery and technology services through the Raiffeisen Technik joint venture combining the agricultural technology operations of RW and RWZ.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
RWZ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RWZ is an agricultural trading cooperative that wholesales grains, oilseeds, and feedstuff (Agrarhandel), distributes mineral oil products such as heating oil, diesel, and wood pellets via Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbH, retails agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizers, and crop protection products alongside gardening supplies (Einzelhandel), and provides agricultural machinery sales and workshop services (Agrartechnik). Customers are farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners across Germany, France, Austria, and the Benelux region.
Product overview
RWZ (Raiffeisen Waren-Zentrale Rhein-Main AG) operates as one of Germany's oldest and largest agricultural traders with a diversified portfolio of products and services. The company operates through several interconnected business units: Agrarhandel serves as the core agricultural trade operations bundling wholesale purchasing and sales; Einzelhandel provides retail offerings for farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners; Energie manages the energy business including mineral oil products through Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbH; Agrartechnik (being consolidated into Raiffeisen Technik joint venture) provides agricultural technology products and services. Additionally, the Saatgutzentrum Meckenheim serves as a seed competency center. The company also publishes the RWZ-agrarReport. Operations span Germany, France, Austria, and Benelux.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Agrarhandel (Agricultural Trading) Wholesale trading of agricultural commodities including grains, oilseeds, and feedstuff, sold to mid-market agricultural businesses, processors, and exporters across Germany and neighboring European markets.
- Einzelhandel (Retail Agricultural Supplies) Retail supply of agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products) and gardening supplies/equipment sold to individual farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners through physical retail locations.
- Energie / Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbH Distribution of mineral oil products including heating oil, diesel, gasoline, lubricants, AdBlue, and wood pellets to commercial and consumer customers via the subsidiary Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbH.
- Agrartechnik (Agricultural Technology / Machinery Services) Agricultural machinery sales, workshop services, and equipment support sold to farmers and agricultural businesses through subsidiary Raiffeisen Technik Rhein-Main GmbH.
- LIMERA Gartenbauservice GmbH Specialized horticultural and gardening services operated through subsidiary LIMERA Gartenbauservice GmbH, serving niche customer needs in the gardening and horticulture segment.
Companies that use RWZ
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RWZ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RWZ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Raiffeisen Waren GmbH (RW)coreJoint venture partner for agricultural technology operations. The two companies are merging their agricultural technology divisions to form 'Raiffeisen Technik' effective May 1, 2026. This is a significant strategic consolidation combining the agricultural technology expertise of both Raiffeisen organizations.
- LIMERA Gartenbauservice GmbH & Co. KGminorSubsidiary operating in the horticulture/garden services sector, part of the RWZ group of companies.
- Raiffeisen Agrarhandel Pfalz GmbHminorRegional subsidiary in the Palatinate region handling agricultural trading operations.
- Raiffeisen AgriTrading Rhein-Main GmbH & Co. KGminorSubsidiary focused on agricultural trading operations in the Rhine-Main region.
- Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbHcore100% subsidiary formed April 2026 to bundle energy activities including mineral oil business with heating oil, diesel, gasoline, tanker logistics, and filling station infrastructure.
- Raiffeisen Enterprise Services Köln GmbHminorShared services subsidiary providing enterprise-level services to the RWZ group.
- Raiffeisen Technik Rhein-Main GmbHcoreAgricultural technology subsidiary operating workshops and services as part of the Raiffeisen Technik network.
- Wilhelm Weuthen GmbH & Co. KGminorPotato wholesale partner company associated with the RWZ group.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RWZ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BayWa AG: Largest German agricultural trader and one of RWZ's closest direct competitors. BayWa operates wholesale agricultural trading, retail farm supply, agricultural technology, energy, and building materials across Germany and internationally, with a DAX/MDAX-listed AG structure directly comparable to RWZ.
- AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG: Major German Raiffeisen-affiliated agricultural cooperative and wholesale trader operating in grains, animal feed, agricultural inputs, and crop protection. Direct peer to RWZ's Agrarhandel and Einzelhandel businesses, with comparable product breadth and farmer customer focus in northern and western Germany.
- Raiffeisen Waren GmbH (RW): RWZ's JV partner in the 'Raiffeisen Technik' agtech joint venture. RW is a central Raiffeisen agricultural trading company operating in Hesse, Thuringia, and Saxony with overlapping wholesale trading, retail, and agtech service offerings — the most direct operational peer in the German Raiffeisen system.
Regional players
- ATR Landhandel: Regional agricultural commodity trader in northern and eastern Germany focused on grain, rapeseed, and agricultural inputs. Comparable to RWZ in product range but operates in a different regional footprint, making it a regional peer rather than direct competitor.
- HaGe Nord (Hauptgenossenschaft Nord AG): Northern German agricultural cooperative and wholesale trader in grains, animal feed, seeds, and farm inputs. Comparable to RWZ in product mix and cooperative heritage but operates primarily in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and northern Lower Saxony.
- Heliag (HELIAG Holding GmbH): German agricultural and energy company operating agricultural trading, energy distribution, and logistics assets. Comparable to RWZ on the agricultural trading and energy side, but with a regional footprint focused on the Heligoland/Ammerland area, making it a regional peer rather than a head-to-head competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Cargill: One of the world's largest agricultural commodity traders, operating globally across grains, oilseeds, and animal nutrition. Broad incumbent with much greater scale than RWZ; relevant as a global benchmark for commodity-trading economics and competitive dynamics rather than as a direct local competitor.
- Louis Dreyfus Company: Global merchant and processor of agricultural commodities including grains, oilseeds, and coffee. Operates across the same value chain as RWZ's agricultural commodity trading business but at vastly greater scale and with origination assets worldwide; useful as a comparable for trading-segment economics.
- ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): Global agricultural processor and trader with significant grain and oilseed operations in Europe. Comparable to RWZ on the commodity trading and processing side, though ADM's scale, integrated processing assets, and global origination footprint far exceed RWZ's regional focus.
Others
- Bayer Crop Science (Division of Bayer AG): Global crop protection and seed company with deep relationships to the same farmer customer base RWZ serves. Not a direct trading competitor, but a key upstream supplier and a useful comparable for understanding the agronomic-advisory and seed-competence positioning RWZ is building at its Meckenheim seed center.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
RWZ social profiles
Digital presenceRWZ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RWZ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
RWZ subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
RWZ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RWZ 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 RWZ
What does RWZ do?
RWZ is an agricultural trading cooperative that wholesales grains, oilseeds, and feedstuff (Agrarhandel), distributes mineral oil products such as heating oil, diesel, and wood pellets via Raiffeisen Energie Köln GmbH, retails agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizers, and crop protection products alongside gardening supplies (Einzelhandel), and provides agricultural machinery sales and workshop services (Agrartechnik). Customers are farmers, winemakers, gardeners, and forest owners across Germany, France, Austria, and the Benelux region.
Is RWZ a public or private company?
RWZ is a public company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was RWZ founded?
RWZ was founded in 1952. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is RWZ based?
RWZ is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does RWZ make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Agricultural Commodity Trading is the primary driver. The others are agricultural Retail, energy Business and agricultural Technology.
Who are RWZ's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BayWa AG, AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG and Raiffeisen Waren GmbH (RW). Regional players are ATR Landhandel, HaGe Nord (Hauptgenossenschaft Nord AG) and Heliag (HELIAG Holding GmbH). Broad incumbents are Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company and ADM (Archer Daniels Midland). Bayer Crop Science (Division of Bayer AG) is listed as an others.
Does RWZ have an API?
No public API is recorded for RWZ.
What industry is RWZ in?
RWZ's product category is Agricultural Trading. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAKAL, Import/Export & Cross-Border Food Commodity Trading, with a secondary code of AFABAJAA, Farm Supply Retail (Independent Dealers). Its NAICS code is 4245 and its SIC code is 5150.