BarthHaas, the global market leader in hop products and services, has appointed Karsten Neuffer as its first Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective September 1, 2026. This newly created position marks a significant structural milestone for the family-owned enterprise.
By introducing the Group CEO role, the company consolidates the leadership of its various international subsidiaries, including the European and Asian operations of BarthHaas, the US-based John I. Haas, and Hop Products Australia, under a single executive. The reorganization aims to strengthen global collaboration, drive sustainable growth, and better position the company amid challenging market conditions, such as the persistent structural oversupply in the global hop market (inside.beer, 21.07.2026).
Neuffer brings extensive international management experience from the agricultural and food technology sectors. Before joining the hop specialist, he served as the chief executive of the agricultural technology company Ricetec. His career also includes senior leadership roles at Syngenta and Indigo Ag.
The creation of a centralized executive role represents a further departure from the group's historical management model. Until the end of 2021, the company was directly managed by the owner family, with cousins Regine Barth, Stephan Barth, and Alexander Barth leading the business in the eighth generation (inside.beer, 08.10.2020). In a major restructuring, the family transitioned the company to an owner-controlled model, establishing a voluntary Board of Directors to act as a supervisory body.
Following the 2021 transition, the operational management of the European business was handed over to non-family executives, currently led by managing directors Oliver Bergner and Thomas Raiser, while Alexander Barth continued as CEO of John I. Haas. Until now, the group had operated without a single overarching CEO, relying instead on a decentralized structure across its global entities. The appointment of Neuffer is expected to unify these branches, enhancing the company's ability to provide breweries worldwide with high-quality hop products and technical expertise.
