Koppert celebrates 10 years in Brazil with average growth of 29% per year

The Dutch multinational Koppert Biological Systems arrived in Brazil 10 years ago and during this period it grew along with the adoption of biodefensive products by Brazilian farmers. With an average increase of 29% per year in revenue, it became the leader in market share, establishing itself as a reference in research and development of biological products and new technologies in the segment. Koppert do Brasil's revenue is estimated at R$250 million in 2021.

According to the commercial director of Koppert do Brasil, Gustavo Herrmann, the company's growth is the result of an increase in demand for biological pesticides and a large market potential yet to be explored, together with its capacity for evolution. “The company has been constantly investing in expanding its production area, research and development and sales team. Over the next five years, we will invest approximately R$300 million in new products, new manufacturing plants (macro and microbiological) and hiring new employees. Acquisitions are also on our radar.”

The company's expansion also occurred with the acquisition of other companies over the years – six in total. The most recent were Bug Agentes Biológicas, in 2018, which brought macrobiologicals to Koppert's portfolio; the Argentine Nitrasoil, in 2019, expanding the market to the Southern Cone and Geocom, last year, incorporating the provision of biological application services into the package of solutions offered to producers.

“Our story practically began with the acquisition of Itaforte Bioprodutos, in 2012, when we had 40 employees and three products in our portfolio. Now, a decade later, we have two manufacturing units, 400 employees spread across the country and 23 biological products available to our customers”, says the industrial director of Koppert do Brasil, Danilo Pedrazzoli.

The work carried out by the company helped in the adoption of integrated pest management and biological control in Brazil, which today is a rapidly expanding market, increasingly consolidating itself as a profitable, productive and sustainable alternative for national agribusiness. According to data from Croplife Brasil, the organic products market is expected to reach R$3,7 billion in Brazil in 2030, a growth of 107% compared to the sales forecast for 2021. Only in the last harvest, its use reached a area 20% larger than the previous one.

New technologies

With an eye on the future, Koppert, in partnership and joint investment of R$40 million, with the Luiz de Queiroz Higher School of Agriculture (Esalq/USP) and the São Paulo State Research Support Fund (Fapesp), opened in last year SPARCBio (São Paulo Advanced Research Center for Biological Control), with the aim of developing a new model of integrated pest and disease management for tropical agriculture. “At SPARCBio, around 50 researchers, from various universities and research institutions in Brazil and abroad, carry out research aimed at prospecting new biological control agents”, explains Pedrazzoli.

Also last year, Koppert launched Gazebo, the country's first agribusiness innovation hub specializing in technologies aimed at biological control. “The hub hosts agtechs and innovation initiatives that include tools for the correct adoption of biodefensive products in agriculture. Koppert will work at Gazebo with mentoring, development of business plans, funding and concept testing of solutions applied to biological control, validating technologies in the field”, advises Herrmann.