INTERVIEW 80 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2026 heritage. As the umbrella organization of Austria’s agricultural cooperatives, RWA carries more than 130 years of history as both a dedicated service provider and a strategic partner to the farming sector. Over time, it became clear that we needed to expand our role along the value chain. RWA had long been active in feed production and, through Garant, held a leading position in Austria. We also operate in the feed-additive segment through agromed. The acquisition of PATENT CO. strengthened our compound feed leadership in Southeast Europe and enriched our portfolio with expertise in mycotoxin management and phytogenic solutions. Our compound feed activities have been, and continue to be, managed locally. However, it soon became clear that our global Feed Additive activities require central coordination. Bringing together these long-established cultures was both a challenge and an opportunity. Early on, we made a conscious decision to move away from a top-down integration. Instead, we introduced a transition period in 2023 to identify the shared value that could be created by uniting the feed additive businesses of the two companies. Our starting position was already strong — a global presence in more than 50 countries and established relationships with customers and partners. But we knew we had to professionalize our market approach, strengthen our market intelligence, and focus on being closer to our customers. Before expanding — and ultimately doubling — our teams, we harmonized and aligned our sales organizations in each market. This meant defining a clear market focus, ensuring a deep understanding of the value our products deliver, and providing enough time to build the right structure and processes to support our vision. Managing these priorities while navigating cultural differences was our most significant challenge and overcoming them is something I am particularly proud of. Looking back, our key success factor was giving heritage and culture the respect and time they deserve, while identifying where each organization’s true value contribution lies. This approach reflects RWA’s core beliefs. A&P Nutrition is now coming to life because we have united potential, empowered people, and encouraged them to unlock their true potential. This is how we build our organization: striving to be better than average and learning every day how to improve. Today, the heritage of PATENT CO.’s and agromed’s additive business is fully integrated under our new, unified brand — A&P Nutrition. For us, this new brand is not just a milestone; it is a starting line. Together, we now move forward with one unified identity, clarity, and ambition. An integration process of this scale inevitably brings operational and cultural challenges. What were the most significant hurdles you faced during the merger, and what management philosophy did you adopt to overcome them? The most complex part of our transition was bringing people on board with the vision — aligning cultures, expectations, and mindsets. At the same time, the solution was precisely the same: empowering our people and trusting them. We moved away from a top-down approach and instead built our processes and structures from the bottom up. And our team proved that, when entrusted with responsibility and given the right environment, they can overcome any challenge and deliver performance well above average. They succeeded in a framework that they helped design themselves — and that is what makes this achievement truly exceptional. As of January 2026, you have begun conducting all operations under the A&P Nutrition name. What are your primary strategic objectives during this transition phase? Where do you aim to position the brand in the medium to long term? We are shifting our focus from a product-centric model to a truly customer-specific approach. For us, this means being as close as possible to our customers and investing the time to understand their
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