UFOP

What UFOP does

UFOP (Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V.) is a German non-profit agricultural association founded in 1991 that represents companies, associations, and institutions involved in the production, processing, and marketing of domestic oilseed (rapeseed, sunflower) and protein crops (field bean, pea, sweet lupine, soybean). Headquartered in Berlin with an external office in Rendsburg (co-located with the Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein for field trial work), the organization functions as the central industry voice for the German oil and protein plant sector. Its core activities are organized around three pillars: brand policy, human nutrition (rapeseed oil and pulses), and biodiesel/biomass fuels.

UFOP's deliverables are information and research products rather than commercial goods. These include the annual Geschäftsbericht and Versorgungsbericht (Global Supply Report), the bilingual KulturPflanzenMagazin magazine, online seminars, professional conferences, weekly market graphics, biodiesel and rapeseed fuel price indices, and protein market prices. The organization coordinates crop variety trials, agronomic research, and scholarships, and disseminates results through its website, YouTube channel, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, the Agrarmarkt Podcast, and a press image library. It supports the global agri benchmark network, providing internationally harmonized farm-level economic analysis. It also runs the EU-co-financed "DIE VIER VON HIER" (The Four From Here) consumer awareness campaign on European pulses in Germany and Austria from February 2024 to January 2027, with a planned follow-up three-year campaign beginning February 2027.

UFOP's business model is that of a registered German association (eingetragener Verein). It is funded through membership fees from agricultural producers, processors, and industry associations, supplemented by EU co-financing for specific information and market development campaigns and publicly funded research projects. It does not sell commercial products, generate licensing revenue, or disclose financials in the available data. No parent company, subsidiaries, or external funding rounds are indicated.

Name

UFOP

Legal name

Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V.

Website

https://ufop.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UFOP is a German non-profit agricultural association founded in 1991 that promotes domestic oilseed and protein crop cultivation through policy advocacy, research coordination, market reports, and EU-funded consumer campaigns serving farmers, agricultural companies, and consumers in Germany and Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Industry Association

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116), Oilseed (except Soybean) Farming (111120), Dry Pea and Bean Farming (111130)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Agricultural industry association
• Oilseed and protein crops
• Biodiesel and biofuel policy
• Rapeseed and pulse research
• Agricultural market intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

UFOP is a non-profit German industry association that promotes domestic oilseed and protein plant cultivation through policy representation, market intelligence, research coordination, and consumer education. It delivers publications, supply reports, online seminars, and conferences covering rapeseed, sunflower, field beans, peas, sweet lupines, and soybeans, alongside biofuel policy advocacy and nutritional information about rapeseed oil and pulses.

Product overview

UFOP (Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V.) is a German agricultural industry association focused on promoting domestic oil and protein plants. Rather than offering a traditional product suite, UFOP provides a portfolio of information services and publications including the KulturPflanzenMagazin magazine, annual reports (Geschäftsbericht), global supply reports (Versorgungsbericht), online seminars, professional conferences, press releases, and educational content about nutrition, biodiesel, and agricultural topics. These offerings are organized around three main themes: brand policy, human nutrition (focusing on rapeseed oil and legumes), and biodiesel/biomass fuels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KulturPflanzenMagazin A bilingual (German and English) magazine publication covering rapeseed, legumes, and other domestic oil plants, focusing on their significance for nutrition, agriculture, research, bioeconomy, and climate protection. Distributed digitally to readers in the agricultural sector and the general public.
• Geschäftsbericht (Annual Report) Annual report published digitally covering brand policy, human nutrition, and biodiesel topics, including statistical appendices on German and international oilseed processing developments. Released as the Geschäftsbericht 2024/25, optimized for smartphone and desktop access.
• Versorgungsbericht (Global Supply Report) Annual report on global market supply for oilseeds and protein crops, providing market intelligence to the agricultural and biofuel industries. The 2025/2026 edition analyzes international supply conditions.
• UFOP Online-Seminare Series of online seminars covering topics such as rapeseed pest control (March 2021), rapeseed market developments (June 2021), and other professional conferences designed for agricultural producers and industry participants.
• UFOP Fachtagungen (Professional Conferences) Professional conferences including the 'Die Vier von Hier' symposium and 'Local Heroes' events, bringing together agricultural producers, industry stakeholders, and policy experts to discuss oilseed and protein crop market development.
• DIE VIER VON HIER Consumer Awareness Campaign EU co-financed consumer awareness campaign "DIE VIER VON HIER – European Pulses for Sustainable Nutrition" targeting consumers in Germany and Austria through social media (TikTok, Instagram), events, and media to improve knowledge and image of European pulses and sustainable nutrition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Winter rapeseed cultivation maintained above 1 million hectares in Germany, demonstrating sustained relevance of the sector UFOP represents

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Union (EU) / REAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024The European Union, through the Research Executive Agency (REA), co-finances the 'DIE VIER VON HIER – European Pulses for Sustainable Nutrition' campaign from February 2024 to January 2027, targeting consumers in Germany and Austria. UFOP also plans a follow-up three-year campaign beginning February 2027, subject to EU Commission approval.
• Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft (FML)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFOP is a long-standing partner of the Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft (FML), which coordinates the ErlebnisBauernhof (Experience Farm) pavilion at the Grüne Woche trade fair in Berlin. UFOP uses this platform to present the value of winter rapeseed and domestic pulses to the public.
• agri benchmark NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFOP supports the agri benchmark network since its founding. agri benchmark is a global non-profit network of agricultural economists, consultants, and producers that analyzes farms, production systems and their economics using internationally harmonized methods, connecting this knowledge with international commodity market analysis.
• Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-HolsteincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFOP has a long-standing cooperation with the Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein, where its external office (Außenstelle) for trial work is located in Rendsburg. The office conducts field trials for oil and protein crops in collaboration with the chamber's crop production department.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Bauernverband (DBV): The central German farmers' association representing broad agricultural interests. Comparable to UFOP as a domestic industry association engaged in policy lobbying, market representation, and member services for German agriculture, though operating at a much larger scale across all crop and livestock sectors.
• Copa-Cogeca: The united voice of European farmers and agricultural cooperatives at EU level. Comparable to UFOP as an industry association engaged in EU policy representation for crop producers, though operating at pan-European scale across all agricultural sectors.

Direct peers

• Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft (FML): A long-standing UFOP partner that coordinates the ErlebnisBauernhof pavilion at Grüne Woche. Comparable as a German agricultural communications organization focused on consumer-facing promotion of modern farming, overlapping with UFOP's public awareness and consumer education activities.
• European Biodiesel Board (EBB): European industry association for biodiesel producers. Comparable to UFOP in advocating for biodiesel policy and feedstock markets in the EU, particularly overlapping with UFOP's rapeseed-based biodiesel activities.
• Bundesverband Pflanzliche Öle e.V. (BVO): German industry association for plant oils, closely overlapping with UFOP's mandate on oilseed-based products, biodiesel feedstocks, and plant oil applications in food and non-food sectors.
• Deutsches Maiskomitee e.V. (DMK): German committee promoting maize cultivation. Comparable as a German commodity crop promotion association focused on research coordination, market information, and producer advocacy — closely paralleling UFOP's role for oilseeds and protein plants.
• FEDIOL (European Vegetable Oil and Protein Meal Industry): European association representing the oilseed crushing and vegetable oil/protein meal industry. Directly comparable to UFOP's focus on oilseed and protein crop value chains, though focused on processors rather than primary producers.

Emerging players

• FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers' Federation): European association representing the compound feed manufacturing industry. Comparable to UFOP in representing downstream demand for oilseed meals and protein crops as feed ingredients, though positioned further down the value chain.
• LeguNet: German legume network referenced from UFOP's own website. Directly comparable in promoting grain legumes (pulses) in German agriculture, sharing content and audience overlap with UFOP's protein crop activities.

Regional players

• Union der Deutschen Kartoffelwirtschaft (UNIKA): German association for the potato value chain. Comparable as a domestic German crop industry association coordinating research, market information, and policy representation, operating at similar scale and structure to UFOP but for a different crop.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ufop_de
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ufopberlin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ufop-verband

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about UFOP