Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg

What Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg does

Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg (WBI) is a state-run applied research and extension institute for viticulture and oenology, founded in 1919 and headquartered at Merzhauser Straße 119 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Operating as a subordinate authority of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Rural Affairs, Agriculture and Homeland (MLR), the institute delivers legally authoritative guidance on wine law, plant protection, and oenological practice to winegrowers throughout Baden-Württemberg, Germany's largest wine-producing state. Its core services are distributed through the centralized Infodienst Landwirtschaft portal and include the Vitimeteo pest and ripening forecasting system, Rebschutzhinweise (plant protection advisories), Weinrechtliche Hinweise (wine law notices), oenological guidance, PIWI fungus-resistant grape variety research, and a vocational training program described as one of the largest agricultural training operations in the state.

The institute maintains two operational field sites in Ihringen (Blankenhornsberg) and Ebringen for experimental viticulture research, and operates the Staatsweingut Freiburg as a wholly-owned commercial wine estate subsidiary with its own online sales channel. Research is conducted through multiple EU and federal co-funded consortia including WiVitis (climate-resilient vines), VITIFIT (organic viticulture), GrapeBreed4IPM (resistance breeding and IPM), EIP-Agri Nachhaltiger Weinbau BW (sustainable wine production), and the INTERREG-funded INVAPROTECT project on invasive pests across the Upper Rhine.

The institute employs approximately 25 staff and is directed by Dr. Bettina Frank-Renz. All advisory and training services are provided free at point of use under public funding; the institute does not operate a commercial pricing model. External partnerships with LEL (state institute for agriculture), Landwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum Hochburg, and various universities support curriculum delivery, content distribution, and academic research collaboration.

Name

Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg

Legal name

Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg

Website

https://wbi.landwirtschaft-bw.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg is a Baden-Württemberg state research institute providing authoritative wine law, plant protection, and oenology advisory services to regional winegrowers, with PIWI grape breeding and vocational training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Institutional Funding: The WBI is a state research institution under the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Rural Affairs (MLR). Operations are funded through government budget allocations, not commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg (WBI) is a state research and experimental institute for viticulture and oenology serving the Baden-Württemberg wine industry. It delivers applied research, technical advisory services on plant protection and wine law, pest and disease forecasting, and vocational training programs for winegrowers, wine technologists, and oenologists. It also operates the Staatsweingut Freiburg state wine estate.

Product overview

Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg operates as a state-run research and educational institution for viticulture and oenology in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Rather than a commercial SaaS product, the institute offers a comprehensive suite of professional information services organized through the WBI Infodienst portal. The core offerings include wine law advisory services (Weinrechtliche Hinweise), pest control recommendations (Rebschutzhinweise) utilizing the Vitimeteo forecasting system, oenological guidance, and research on fungus-resistant grape varieties (PIWI). Educational services encompass vocational training programs (Winzer/in, Weintechnologe/in), bachelor's degree programs in Oenologie und Weinbau, and professional seminars. The institute conducts applied research through projects like WiVitis and VITIFIT, and publishes extensive technical literature. Additionally, the institute operates the Staatsweingut Freiburg as a state wine estate with its own commercial presence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WBI Infodienst (Information Service)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Ministerium für Ländlichen Raum, Landwirtschaft und Heimat Baden-Württemberg (MLR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WBI is a subordinate authority of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Rural Affairs. The ministry oversees the institute's operations, funding, and strategic direction as part of the state agricultural administration system.
• Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Ernährung und Ländlichen Raum (LEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEL serves as the state institute for agriculture, food, and rural affairs and is responsible for the overall concept and administration of the joint information service (Infodienst) that includes the WBI website and content management.
• INVAPROTECT ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINTERREG-funded transnational project on sustainable plant protection against invasive pests (Drosophila suzukii, American grape leafhopper). WBI contributes research expertise on pest ecology and management in viticulture. Partner regions include Alsace and other Upper Rhine areas.
• EIP-Agri Projekt: Nachhaltiger Weinbau BWmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Innovation Partnership project promoting sustainable wine production in Baden-Württemberg through research, innovation, and knowledge transfer among winegrowers.
• WiVitis - Strategies for Climate-Resistant VinesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch initiative developing strategies for resilient grapevines in the context of climate change, including breeding and cultivation practices.
• VITIFIT - Healthy Vines in Organic ViticulturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch project focused on healthy vines in organic wine production through research, innovation, and extension services. Funded under the German Federal Program for Organic Farming (BOLN).
• GrapeBreed4IPMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research project developing grape varieties with integrated pest management (IPM) benefits, combining resistance breeding with sustainable viticulture practices.
• Landwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum Hochburg (Emmendingen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural education center providing part-time and full-time vocational programs in viticulture and oenology. WBI cooperates on curriculum and practical training components.
• Universities and Technical CollegesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with various universities and technical colleges for research projects, student internships, and academic programs in viticulture, oenology, and related fields.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Agroscope: Swiss federal agricultural research institute with a dedicated viticulture/oenology group; provides applied research and extension services for Swiss winegrowers — comparable structure to WBI as a publicly funded research-to-grower body.
• Hochschule Geisenheim University: German state university specializing in viticulture, oenology, and beverage research, combining applied science with bachelor's/master's teaching — directly comparable to WBI's research + education mandate and public-sector ownership model.
• Fondazione Edmund Mach: Trentino research foundation combining viticulture/oenology research with technical education and an experimental winery — directly comparable to WBI's combined research, training, and Staatsweingut model.
• Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau (LWG): Bavarian state institute for viticulture, horticulture and landscaping — comparable state-funded research, advisory, and training institution serving the Franconia and adjacent wine sectors with a directly analogous public mandate.
• Laimburg Research Centre: South Tyrolean research centre running applied viticulture, plant protection, and oenology programs with experimental estates — directly comparable in mandate, regional scope, and operating model to WBI.
• Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum Rheinpfalz (DLR Rheinpfalz): Rhineland-Palatinate state institute providing viticulture and horticulture research, advisory, and breeding — a direct German state-level counterpart to WBI in another major German wine region, with similar applied-research and grower-extension mission.
• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU): Austrian public university offering viticulture/oenology research and training programs with applied focus — comparable academic-extension role to WBI's vocational and bachelor's programs in the German-speaking viticulture community.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE: French national research institute for agriculture, food and environment with major wine and viticulture units — a much larger, broader incumbent operating the same applied-research-and-advisory model for the French wine industry.
• Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI): German federal research institute for cultivated plants including grapevine — broader crop mandate than WBI but shares a federal/state research role in plant protection, breeding, and quarantine policy relevant to viticulture (e.g., Flavescence dorée responses).

Others

• Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI): Germany's central wine marketing and promotion organization under federal oversight — adjacent rather than competing; complements WBI's technical and research role with consumer-facing promotion of German wine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXqHx0LzgHDGBQPRZKjB6pQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/staatliches-weinbauinstitut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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