WALDLAND Holding GmbH

What WALDLAND Holding GmbH does

WALDLAND Holding GmbH is an Austrian agricultural cooperative holding company headquartered at the Waldlandhof in Oberwaltenreith, Lower Austria, controlled by the Waldviertler Sonderkulturenverein, an association of approximately 1,000 Waldviertel member farmers. Founded in 1984 as the Verein zur Förderung der Sonderkulturen im Waldviertel and consolidated into its current form via a 2003 merger, the group operates through five wholly-owned subsidiaries (WALDLAND International GmbH, Naturstoffe GmbH, Pflanzenveredelungs GmbH, Vermarktungs GmbH, and Tierveredelungs GmbH) covering international trade, natural substances, plant oil processing, retail/catering, and animal husbandry. The core business is the cultivation, processing, and marketing of specialty crops (Sonderkulturen) including Waldviertler Graumohn with protected designation of origin (g.U.), medicinal plants, culinary and tea herbs, spices, and oilseeds, alongside complementary animal products (African catfish aquaculture and LeTe-Protein insect-based feed).

The underlying technology stack is built around Austria's largest cold-press plant oil facility in Kautzen (12,000 tons/year oil-fruit capacity, up from 7,000), a climate-controlled IFS-certified storage facility, a 2,900 m² grain processing extension, a tea-pellet processing hall, infrared decontamination, and an in-house laboratory. A 1.4-hectare, 630 kWp agri-photovoltaic installation launched in July 2026 adds R&D capability for partial-shade specialty-crop cultivation, with PV systems covering approximately 50% of the company's own electricity needs. The group monetizes through three primary revenue streams: B2B processing and raw-material sales to international food and pharmaceutical industries; direct-to-consumer retail via the Waldlandhof specialty shop, Leinenhaus, café, catering, and the waldlandshop.at online store; and agritourism/visitor experiences. No external private equity or venture capital is disclosed; ownership remains with the cooperative member base.

Name

WALDLAND Holding GmbH

Legal name

WALDLAND Holding GmbH

Website

https://waldland.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WALDLAND Holding GmbH is an Austrian farmer-owned cooperative of ~1,000 Waldviertel growers that cultivates, processes, and markets specialty crops (poppy, medicinal and tea herbs, cold-pressed plant oils, grains) and aquaculture/insect-protein products through B2B channels and its own retail, café, catering, and e-commerce operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Agricultural Products

NAICS

Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122), Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (424210), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Bakery & Confectionery Wholesale (AFAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Beauty & Pharmacy Bulk Wholesale (B2B) (CRAEAEAI), Beverage Logistics, Warehousing & Cold-Chain Distribution (AFAIAGAM)

Keywords

• Agricultural cooperative
• Cold-pressed plant oils
• Medicinal plant processing
• Specialty crop cultivation
• Regional food production

Headquarters

HQ city

Oberwaltenreith

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Raw Material Processing: Processing of specialty crops and grains from member farmers including medicinal plants, poppy, spices, herbs, and oilseeds. Products are sold to food and pharmaceutical industries internationally.
2. Specialty Products Retail: Direct sales of finished specialty products including poppy products, teas, spices, plant oils, vinegars, grains, pasta, fish, poultry, sweets, savory items, alcohols, juices, and plant oil cosmetics through own shops and online store.
3. Catering Services: WALDLAND Catering service offering event catering, wedding celebrations, and event location rental at the Waldlandhof facilities.
4. Leinenhaus (Linen House): Retail sales of linen products and specialty items through the WALDLAND Leinenhaus location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WALDLAND is a farmer-owned cooperative that cultivates, processes, and markets specialty agricultural products from Austria's Waldviertel region, including Waldviertler Graumohn g.U. (grey poppy with protected designation of origin), cold-pressed plant oils produced at Austria's largest cold-press plant oil facility, medicinal plants, kitchen and tea herbs, spices, grain products, African catfish (Edelfisch) from aquaculture, and insect protein (LeTe-Protein). The cooperative sells B2B to food and pharmaceutical industries internationally and operates B2C channels including a specialty retail shop, online shop, catering service, café, and WALDLAND Leinenhaus.

Product overview

WALDLAND Holding GmbH operates as an agricultural cooperative-based company centered at the Waldlandhof in Oberwaltenreith, consisting of around 1,000 member farmers in the Waldviertel region of Austria. The company functions as a platform for specialty agriculture with two core divisions: Plant Processing (specialty crops including medicinal plants, herbs, spices, grey poppy with protected designation, and cold-pressed plant oils as Austria's largest facility) and Animal Processing (aquaculture with African catfish and insect-based protein). The product portfolio includes raw agricultural commodities (oil seeds, grains) processed through proprietary facilities for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, alongside retail operations (specialty store, catering services, linen house). The company operates at scale of 6,000 hectares and processes over 3,400 hectares of grains and 12,000 tonnes of oil fruits annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waldviertler Graumohn g.U. Grey poppy (Mohn) with protected designation of origin (geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung, g.U.) from the Waldviertel region, sold as a specialty agricultural product to food industry customers and retail consumers.
• Cold-pressed plant oils Range of cold-pressed plant oils produced at Austria's largest cold-press plant oil facility operated by WALDLAND, sold to food industry customers and retail consumers. A solar power plant was installed on the cold-press facility in 2018.
• Medicinal plants Cultivated and processed medicinal plant raw materials supplied to the pharmaceutical industry as a contract cultivation line.
• Kitchen and tea herbs Dried kitchen and tea herbs cultivated in the Waldviertel region, processed and packaged for retail sale and food industry customers. An agri-photovoltaic system was installed on the herb and spice processing hall in 2022.
• Edelfisch (African catfish / Wels) African catfish (Wels) produced in WALDLAND's dedicated aquaculture facility, sold as fresh fish to food service and retail customers.
• LeTe-Protein (insect protein) Insect-based protein product developed and produced by WALDLAND, sold as an alternative protein source.
• WALDLAND Catering Catering service using WALDLAND's agricultural products, providing regional specialty food for events and gatherings.
• WALDLAND Specialty Shop (Spezialitätengeschäft) Physical retail shop selling WALDLAND's specialty regional products including poppy, oils, herbs, fish, and other regional specialties. Includes the WALDLAND Leinenhaus sub-shop offering handwork and linen/textile products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cultivation area expanded to 6,000 hectares
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fachschule EdelhofcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration began in 1980 when Fachschule Edelhof (agricultural college) partnered with Waldviertel farmers to cultivate poppy. This early partnership established the foundation for the specialty crops association.
• Travel Group Partners (Sonnentor, Waldreichs, Kristallium, and others)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWALDLAND collaborates with regional tourism partners including Sonnentor, Waldreichs, Kristallium, Wurmhof, and Käsemacherwelt for travel group packages and combined visitor experiences at Waldlandhof.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bunge Limited: Global agribusiness and oilseed processor with a major European oilseed crushing footprint. Comparable in oilseed processing, grain trading, and food industry ingredient supply, though vastly larger and commodity-focused rather than specialty.
• Fuchs Gewürze: German family-owned spice and herb company supplying food manufacturers and retail across Europe. Comparable as a large-scale European herbs/spices processor with B2B food industry customers, though broader portfolio and much larger scale.
• Cargill: Global agricultural commodity and ingredient processor with European specialty oil and grain operations. Comparable in food/agricultural ingredient supply to international food and pharma industries, though at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• AGRANA: Austrian-listed agricultural processing major with fruit, starch, and sugar segments. Comparable as a large-scale Austrian processor of agricultural raw materials into food industry ingredients, though far broader and more diversified than WALDLAND.
• HiPP: German family-owned organic baby food company with deep sourcing of organic agricultural raw materials. Comparable as a buyer and brander of high-quality, traceable specialty organic ingredients, though far larger and consumer-brand-led.

Direct peers

• Sonnentor: Austrian family-led organic herbs, spices, and tea company with a similar regional Austrian origin and direct farmer-sourcing model. Closest direct peer: comparable specialty crop product portfolio, organic positioning, and Austrian retail/wholesale channels.
• Kotányi: Austrian spice and herb company producing packaged culinary herbs and spices for European retail and food service. Directly comparable in the specialty herbs/spices category and B2B food industry supply.

Regional players

• Spitz (Spitz GesmbH): Austrian family-owned food manufacturer producing snacks, baked goods, and pulses for retail and food service. Comparable as an Austrian food manufacturer with branded retail products and food industry supply, though consumer-brand focused rather than cooperative.
• Berglandmilch: Austrian dairy cooperative representing thousands of farmer members, processing milk into dairy products for domestic and export markets. Closely comparable cooperative structure and Austrian farmer-owned model, though in dairy rather than specialty crops.
• VOG (Verband der Obstgenossenschaften): Italian/Austrian fruit cooperative marketing apples and other fruit from member growers across Europe. Similar cooperative-led raw material supply model and international B2B distribution, but focused on fruit rather than specialty arable crops.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waldland-holding-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WALDLAND Holding GmbH