Otto Hauenstein Samen | Omya (Schweiz) AG

What Otto Hauenstein Samen | Omya (Schweiz) AG does

Otto Hauenstein Samen (OHS) is a Swiss seed and agricultural input company founded in 1942 and headquartered in Rafz, Switzerland, operating as a subsidiary of the OMYA-Group. The company serves two primary customer segments: Swiss farmers seeking agricultural seeds (clover-grass mixtures, cover crops, corn, sugar/fodder beets, oilseeds, grain legumes, cereals, and specialty crops for biodiversity and regenerative applications), and green professionals (Gärtner) requiring lawn, greening, and wildflower seeds for landscaping, sports fields, and public green spaces. Operations are trilingual across German, French, and Italian, covering all major Swiss language regions.

The core technology and product platform centers on seed production, breeding, and distribution. The company maintains an own webshop (hauenstein.shop) offering the complete turf and greening catalog with smartphone-optimized ordering and tiered volume pricing, while agricultural orders are processed via email and field advisor consultation. The product suite is complemented by value-added services including the OHS-Berater advisory program, OHS-Produktfinder selection tool, and OHS Kurse professional training programs covering turf management and green roof installation. Recent infrastructure investment includes a new mixing plant (neue Mischanlage) supporting custom seed blending capacity, and the company publishes seasonal catalogs including Rat und Saat and Katalog 2026.

The business model is sales-led, B2B, and domestic Swiss. Revenue is generated through volume-based tiered pricing with customer-specific conditions, free delivery above minimum order thresholds (Fr. 100 for agricultural businesses, Fr. 250 for green professionals), and 30-day net payment terms. The company does not sell directly to private consumers, instead redirecting them to local gardeners carrying OHS products. Marketing combines downloadable catalogs, a content-rich website, the OHS webshop, and a field sales advisor (Aussendienst) force — a hybrid distribution model leveraging both digital and traditional agricultural input channels.

Name

Otto Hauenstein Samen | Omya (Schweiz) AG

Legal name

Otto Hauenstein Samen

Website

https://hauenstein.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Otto Hauenstein Samen is a 1942-founded Swiss seed distributor serving Swiss farmers and green professionals with agricultural, turf, and wildflower seeds, operating as an OMYA-Group subsidiary with field advisors, a webshop, and educational services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Agricultural and Turf Seeds

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Seed Production & Multiplication (Contract Growing, Foundation/Certified Seed) (AFABAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation Seed Production (AFAGAIAA), Cover Crop & Green Manure Seeds (AFABAFAH), Oilseed & Pulse Seeds (Canola/Rapeseed, Sunflower, Pea, Lentil, Chickpea) (AFABAFAC)

Keywords

• Professional agricultural seeds
• Turf and lawn seeds
• Wildflower seed mixtures
• Seed breeding and production
• Greening and landscaping seeds

Headquarters

HQ city

Rafz

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seed and Product Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of agricultural seeds, grass seeds, wildflower mixtures, and related products. Pricing is volume-based with tiered discounts, and free delivery is provided above minimum purchase thresholds (Fr. 100 for farms, Fr. 250 for green professionals).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Otto Hauenstein Samen produces, breeds, and distributes professional seeds in Switzerland through two divisions: Agriculture (clover-grass mixtures, cover crops, corn, sugar/fodder beets, oilseeds, grain legumes, cereals, specialty crops) and Turf & Greening (lawn seeds, greening solutions, wildflower mixtures). The company sells exclusively to professional customers — Swiss farmers and green professionals (landscapers, gardeners, groundskeepers) — and supports sales with field advisors, an OHS-Webshop, product finders, training courses, and annual catalogs.

Product overview

Otto Hauenstein Samen operates as a Swiss seed company specializing in two main divisions: Agriculture (Landwirtschaft) and Turf & Greening (Rasen & Begrünung). The company offers a portfolio of seed products including agricultural crops (clover-grass mixtures, cover crops, corn, cereals, oilseeds, grain legumes) and turf/wildflower seeds. Customers can access products through the OHS-Webshop for turf products or direct email ordering for agricultural products. The offering is complemented by advisory services (OHS-Berater), product finders for both divisions, and professional training courses (OHS Kurse) covering turf management and green roof installation. The company is part of the OMYA group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Seed Product Line (Landwirtschaft)

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OMYA-Groupparent companyOthersOtto Hauenstein Samen is a company of the OMYA-Group (Ein Unternehmen der OMYA-Gruppe). The company operates as a subsidiary under the OMYA umbrella while maintaining its own brand identity in the seed distribution business.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fenaco Genossenschaft: Swiss agricultural cooperative serving Swiss farmers across seeds, inputs, and produce. Directly comparable as the largest domestic agricultural inputs distributor serving the same Swiss farmer base with overlapping seed categories.
• Barenbrug Group: Dutch-headquartered global grass seed breeder and distributor with strong European turf and forage presence. Comparable as a specialist grass and forage seed company targeting professional landscapers and farmers across Europe.
• DLF Seeds: Danish global leader in grass and forage seed breeding and distribution. Comparable as a vertically integrated seed company selling through professional channels into European turf and agricultural markets.
• UFA-Samen: Swiss seed brand owned by Fenaco, offering agricultural and grass seed mixtures. Closely comparable as a domestic Swiss seed distributor competing head-to-head with OHS in agricultural and turf blends.
• Landi Schweiz (fenaco LANDI): Swiss agricultural retail cooperative serving farmers and rural consumers through a national store network. Comparable as a Swiss agricultural inputs retailer that competes with OHS for shelf space and farmer relationships.

Regional players

• KWS Saat SE: German global seed company focused on sugar beet, corn, and cereals. Comparable in agricultural seed categories that overlap with OHS (sugar/fodder beets, corn, cereals), though operating as a major breeder rather than distributor.
• Jouffray-Drillaud: French seed company specializing in forage, cover crops, and regenerative agriculture mixtures. Comparable as a Western European specialist in cover crops and clover-grass blends targeting regenerative and sustainable farming.
• DSV Deutsche Saatveredelung: German plant breeding and seed company specializing in agricultural and turf seeds. Comparable as a DACH-region seed breeder-distributor with similar product mix (cereals, grasses, cover crops) but primarily serving the German market.

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Crop Science: Global seed and crop protection division of Bayer, including former Monsanto seed brands. Comparable as a multinational incumbent in agricultural seeds that competes with OHS indirectly via hybrid seed adoption by Swiss farmers.
• Syngenta Group: Global agrichemical and seed giant headquartered in Switzerland. Comparable as a major Swiss-based seed supplier, though operating at vastly greater scale across crop protection, hybrids, and traits where OHS focuses on commodity seed distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/otto-hauenstein-samen-omya-schweiz-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Otto Hauenstein Samen | Omya (Schweiz) AG