WIMEX Group
WIMEX Group is a German poultry-breeding, agricultural, feed-production, and food-production group with a vertically integrated chicken business.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WIMEX Group is a family-run German agricultural and poultry company headquartered in Köthen, Saxony-Anhalt, with the administrative headquarters of its principal company, WIMEX Agrarprodukte Import und Export GmbH, in Regenstauf, Bavaria. The group operates across poultry breeding, hatcheries, day-old chick distribution, chicken fattening, agricultural production, and animal-feed manufacturing. Its poultry business is particularly associated with the Cobb broiler-breeding line, which it distributes in Germany and other markets through its relationship with Cobb-Vantress, a Tyson Foods company. The business traces its roots to a broiler hatchery established by the Lohmann poultry group in Regenstauf in 1961. Gerhard Wagner joined the operation as a field representative and later became its managing director. In 1985 he founded WIMEX Agrarprodukte Import und Export GmbH to produce hatching eggs. During the 1990s the company expanded into eastern Germany and invested substantially in agricultural land. In 1998 it became the German franchise distributor for the Cobb breeding line. From 2005 it expanded into the Netherlands, and in 2017 it opened hatcheries in Elsnigk and Vreden. WIMEX describes itself as a vertically integrated poultry business. Its activities include grandparent and parent stock, hatching eggs, hatcheries, day-old chicks, broiler production, feed plants, and feed cultivation. The group has operated farms for grandparent and parent stock, hatcheries supplying domestic and international customers, and broiler-fattening facilities. Its customers have included major poultry businesses such as PHW Group, Plukon, and the Sprehe Group. Through investments in Cobb-related companies, it has also maintained international links, including holdings in Cobb Espanola and Cobb Russia. Agriculture is another major part of the group. WIMEX owns more than 8,000 hectares of arable land, much of which is used to grow grain and corn for internal feed production. It also cultivates vegetables on approximately 800 hectares and markets products such as radishes and carrots under the Bördegarten Gemüse name. In 2020, it established WIMEX & Friends Energy GmbH & Co. KG with the Freitag Group to develop photovoltaic installations on agricultural buildings. Ownership is concentrated among the Wagner Family Foundation and PHW Group. The Wagner Family Foundation has been identified as the largest shareholder, while PHW Group holds a share of slightly under half of the company. The group consists of approximately 28 individual companies. Revenue reported for 2021 was approximately EUR 295.158 million, according to the referenced Wikipedia material; the poultry division accounted for the largest share of sales, followed by agriculture and feed production. WIMEX has also been the subject of sustained criticism. Investigative reports and animal-rights groups have alleged animal-welfare violations at contract and company-associated farms, while environmental organizations and journalists have raised concerns about ammonia emissions, nitrate levels, agricultural subsidies, land concentration, and vegetable waste. In March 2021, an H5N8 avian-influenza outbreak at a WIMEX farm in Bavaria led to the culling of approximately 52,000 birds. WIMEX remains an active participant in the German and international poultry and agricultural sectors.
History
WIMEX's origins lie in the German poultry industry of the postwar period. In 1961, the Lohmann poultry group established the Brüterei Süd broiler hatchery in Regenstauf. Gerhard Wagner joined the operation as a field representative, later becoming its managing director. In 1985, he founded WIMEX Agrarprodukte Import und Export GmbH in Regenstauf, initially focusing on the production and trade of hatching eggs. During the 1990s, WIMEX expanded into eastern Germany. The group invested heavily in farmland in the former East German states, where it became a significant participant in the agricultural land market. This expansion helped connect poultry production with the cultivation of feed crops and contributed to the group's later vertically integrated structure. A major strategic step came in 1998, when WIMEX took over distribution of the Cobb breeding line in Germany under the name Cobb Germany. The arrangement was made as a franchise relationship with Cobb-Vantress, the international poultry-breeding company owned by Tyson Foods. Cobb genetics became central to WIMEX's position in broiler breeding and day-old chick production. From 2005, the group extended its activities into the Netherlands. WIMEX continued investing in production infrastructure during the 2010s. In 2017 it opened new hatcheries in Elsnigk and Vreden. The company also expanded its farm and hatchery network, maintained grandparent and parent stock, operated broiler-fattening facilities, and supplied day-old chicks to customers in Germany and abroad. Its business relationships included PHW Group, Plukon, and the Sprehe Group. International investments included minority or joint-venture interests connected with Cobb Espanola and Cobb Russia. The group developed a parallel agricultural platform. It owns more than 8,000 hectares of arable land, with much of the production consisting of grain and corn for internal feed requirements. Through subsidiaries including Agrargesellschaft Wulfen, it also cultivates vegetables on approximately 800 hectares. These products, including radishes and carrots, have been marketed under the Bördegarten Gemüse name. Gerhard Wagner led WIMEX operationally from its foundation until 2019. After that, management was described as being shared by Ulrich Wagner, Leopold Graf von Drechsel, and Ralph Weickert. Wagner and von Drechsel also held prominent positions in German agricultural and poultry-industry associations. Wagner served as president of the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry from 2001 to 2011, while von Drechsel held that presidency from 2011 to 2016. Wagner received the Federal Cross of Merit in 2013 for contributions associated with German reunification. In 2020, WIMEX entered the renewable-energy field through WIMEX & Friends Energy GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture with the Freitag Group intended to install photovoltaic systems on stables. In March 2021, an H5N8 avian-influenza outbreak at a WIMEX farm in Nittenau resulted in the destruction of approximately 52,000 birds and temporary restrictions on the premises. WIMEX's growth has been accompanied by controversy. Reports have alleged animal cruelty at parent-stock farms, environmental damage linked to ammonia and nitrate pollution, receipt of agricultural subsidies despite alleged misconduct, concentration of agricultural land ownership, and the disposal of marketable vegetables. The company and associated industry participants responded variously by acknowledging individual welfare violations, stating that allegations were taken seriously, defending standard agricultural practices, or discontinuing projects after public protests. Despite these disputes, WIMEX remains an active family-controlled agricultural and poultry group.
- 2021
H5N8 outbreak
[1]An avian-influenza outbreak at a WIMEX farm in Nittenau leads to the culling of approximately 52,000 birds.
- 2020
Renewable-energy joint venture
[1]WIMEX forms WIMEX & Friends Energy GmbH & Co. KG with the Freitag Group to develop solar installations on stables.
- 2019
Management transition
[1]Gerhard Wagner ends his period of operational management, after which Ulrich Wagner, Leopold Graf von Drechsel, and Ralph Weickert manage the group.
- 2017
New hatcheries open
[1]WIMEX opens newly built hatcheries in Elsnigk and Vreden.
- 2013
Gerhard Wagner receives the Federal Cross of Merit
[1]The founder is recognized for contributions to the integration of the two German states after reunification.
- 2005
Expansion into the Netherlands
[1]WIMEX begins expanding its activities into the Netherlands.
- 1998
Cobb Germany distribution begins
[1]WIMEX becomes the German franchise distributor for the Cobb breeding line.
- 1990
Expansion into eastern Germany
[1]During the 1990s, WIMEX expands into eastern Germany and invests substantially in agricultural land.
- 1985
WIMEX Agrarprodukte is founded
[1]Gerhard Wagner establishes WIMEX Agrarprodukte Import und Export GmbH to produce hatching eggs.
- 1961
Lohmann establishes Brüterei Süd
[1]The Lohmann poultry group starts a broiler hatchery in Regenstauf, the business environment from which WIMEX later emerges.
Products and positioning
A vertically integrated, family-controlled poultry and agricultural group combining breeding genetics, hatcheries, broiler production, feed manufacturing, farmland, and vegetable cultivation.
Poultry breeding · 1998
Cobb breeding genetics
WIMEX has distributed the Cobb broiler-breeding line in Germany since 1998 under the Cobb Germany name. The business supplies breeding stock and genetics used in commercial chicken production and is tied to the wider Cobb-Vantress network.
Poultry products
Day-old broiler chicks
Day-old chicks are one of WIMEX's core commercial outputs. The group produces hatching eggs, operates hatcheries, and markets chicks internationally to poultry companies and growers, including customers in the German meat-production sector.
Poultry production
Broiler chickens
WIMEX operates broiler-fattening facilities as part of its integrated poultry model. The reported facilities have combined capacity for hundreds of thousands of birds and produce millions of broilers annually.
Feed production
Animal feed
The group produces feed and operates feed-related facilities, using agricultural output such as grain and corn from its own land to support internal poultry operations.
Vegetables
Bördegarten Gemüse
Bördegarten Gemüse is the name used for WIMEX vegetable production and marketing. The range includes crops such as radishes and carrots grown on the group's agricultural land.
Controversies
2018
Criticism concerning agricultural subsidies
Reporting examined WIMEX's receipt of EU agricultural subsidies and argued that public payments were insufficiently linked to environmental and animal-welfare performance.
2017
Further allegations concerning farm conditions
Reports by Frontal 21 and Spiegel Online discussed Animal Rights Watch footage from several WIMEX farms. The material showed injured or dead birds and raised allegations concerning killing methods, access to feed and water, and the suitability of the husbandry system.
2017
Environmental pollution and land-concentration criticism
Environmental and agricultural organizations criticized WIMEX over alleged ammonia emissions, nitrate pollution, and its role as a large agricultural-land investor in eastern Germany. Correctiv reported that groundwater nitrate levels around farms near Baasdorf exceeded the applicable limit.
2016
Animal-welfare allegations involving WIMEX farms
Panorama broadcast footage released by Animal Rights Watch concerning farms associated with agricultural-industry officials, including WIMEX parent-stock farms. Leopold Graf von Drechsel confirmed the footage's origin and acknowledged poor treatment of some injuries.
2010
Alleged cruelty at a parent-stock contract farm
Footage broadcast by Report Mainz and released by PETA showed workers mistreating chickens at a WIMEX contract producer's farm. PHW Group, which bought the hatching eggs, acknowledged that the conduct shown was animal cruelty and said it was incompatible with its welfare standards.
Allegations of vegetable waste
Local critics alleged that fresh vegetables were discarded and plowed into fields rather than sold or donated. WIMEX responded that such disposal could result from strict retail specifications and was not unusual in vegetable production.
Brand decisions
2020
Entry into photovoltaic developmentStrategyBackground
WIMEX explored ways to use agricultural buildings for renewable-energy generation.
Action taken
It formed WIMEX & Friends Energy GmbH & Co. KG with the Freitag Group to build photovoltaic systems on stables.
Aftermath
The joint venture broadened WIMEX's activities beyond poultry and conventional agriculture.
2017
Investment in new hatchery capacityStrategyBackground
The group continued expanding its poultry infrastructure and international chick supply.
Action taken
WIMEX opened newly built hatcheries in Elsnigk and Vreden.
Aftermath
The new sites strengthened the group's hatchery network and production capacity.
2016
Withdrawal from the planned Cochstedt facilityStrategyBackground
A proposed poultry facility with capacity for approximately 80,000 animals faced sustained public and activist opposition.
Action taken
WIMEX announced that it would not pursue the project.
Aftermath
The proposed construction was abandoned following the continuing protests.
1998
Adoption of the Cobb Germany franchiseStrategyBackground
WIMEX sought to expand its role in commercial broiler genetics and breeding.
Action taken
The group took over German distribution of Cobb breeding lines as a franchisee of Cobb-Vantress.
Aftermath
Cobb genetics became a central element of WIMEX's poultry-breeding and day-old chick business.
Recent events
- 2021
H5N8 avian influenza outbreak at WIMEX farm[1]
Recall · Regulation
An outbreak at a WIMEX farm in Nittenau led to the culling of approximately 52,000 birds and the imposition of a local restriction zone.
- 2021
H5N8 avian influenza outbreak at a WIMEX farm[1]
Recall · Regulation · Other
An H5N8 outbreak at a WIMEX farm in Nittenau led to the culling of approximately 52,000 animals, establishment of a restricted zone and a temporary ban on restocking. The route by which the virus entered the farm was not established in the cited material.
- 2020
WIMEX establishes photovoltaic joint venture[1]
Other
WIMEX and the Freitag Group formed WIMEX & Friends Energy GmbH & Co. KG to develop photovoltaic systems on stables.
- 2017
WIMEX opens two new hatcheries[1]
Product generation
The group opened newly constructed hatcheries in Elsnigk and Vreden as part of its poultry expansion.
- 2016
WIMEX abandons planned Cochstedt project[1]
Other
Following sustained public opposition and activist protests, WIMEX announced that it would not proceed with a planned facility in Cochstedt designed for approximately 80,000 animals.
- 2016
WIMEX abandons planned Cochstedt poultry project[1]
Campaign · Other
WIMEX announced that it would not proceed with a planned Cochstedt facility designed for approximately 80,000 animals after sustained public protest.
Sources1 sources
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