Private breeding companies are often accused of narrowing the genetic diversity in crops and having a short-term time horizon. In this paper we show that “behind the scenes” at KWS we work from a larger pool of genetic diversity, which we have been able to exploit to respond to new challenges posed by environment and market demands. Breeding for different target traits and also breeding within and for different countries ensures a useful level of diversity in the breeding programs. The product seen in farmer’s fields is thus a selection from a much broader base which also changes over time. However, to maintain long-term access to useful and adapted genetic diversity KWS has established a commercially focused pre-breeding programme. In contrast to many valuable public pre-breeding initiatives where emphasis is often also on scientific knowledge, the objective at KWS’ pre-breeding programme is exclusively development of new breeding parents. These must be adapted to the local environment, carry identifiable novel genetic diversity, and importantly yield on par with existing varieties. We demonstrate that by taking a breeder’s approach to pre-breeding, we can cross with exotic germplasm and via field selection and use of genomic tools, achieve breeding parents which fit the strict criteria of the commercial line breeders and enter their crossing block. Access to exotic and well-characterised germplasm plays a vital role in KWS’ pre-breeding programme. We rely on germplasm exchange with other breeding programmes from very different environments, but also on public (pre-) breeding programmes such as those at NIAB in the UK and CIMMYT. We demonstrate how we have already used germplasm from these institutions to generate lines currently being used in our commercial crossing block. In summary, by investing in a focused pre-breeding programme, KWS has ensured that our commercial breeders have access to novel genetic diversity to keep pushing yield potential.