Our commitment to a future worth living in
For us, sustainability means using the resources of our environment responsibly in order to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.
Our guiding principle has always been ‘responsibility for people and nature’. This means that in all our decisions, we strive for long-term, sustainable business practices that have the most positive impact possible on the environment and our fellow human beings. Economic success, yes, but in a way that is beneficial for everyone. We want to continue to fulfill this pioneering role in the fourth generation – and are constantly breaking new ground to do so.
“With our products, we want to contribute to a healthy natural environment and encourage social solidarity.”
Jurek Voelkel
In our region, the rural Wendland in Lower Saxony, we are one of the few larger companies. As a family business firmly rooted here, we bear a special responsibility for the local people, our partners and our employees. And also for the nature that surrounds us. This is why we favor regional partnerships wherever possible and reinvest the majority of our annual profits in our company location. A major part of these investments is targeted at measures that benefit the environment, such as more energy-efficient machines or the planting of orchard meadows.
The term ‘organic’ stands for food produced in accordance with the EC Organic Farming Regulation. This means no use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms to support soil fertility. Wherever possible, however, we use biodynamic agriculture.
We have supported biodynamic cultivation since the very beginning of our organic juice production. Today, in the fourth generation, we are the juice producer with the largest range of Demeter products. Demeter-certified food is cultivated in self-contained natural cycles, without chemical-synthetic preservatives and driving mineral fertilizers. Both soil fertility and humus formation are as important here as the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity in agriculture.
Diversity in society and in nature is what counts for us. The projects we support often make important contributions to the preservation of biodiversity and therefore to nature conservation. For example, we co-founded regional organic orchard associations and have replanted several orchards throughout Germany. Our more than 250 products include not only orchard fruit juices, but also juices from open pollinated varieties. The promotion of open pollinated varieties is directly linked to biodiversity in agriculture and the independence of farmers, because seeds harvested in one year can be used to regrow the same variety in the next.
Social involvement
Caring for our fellow human beings and nature is a central component of our corporate culture. Business activities geared towards the common good are also legally enshrined in our articles of association. With our products, we are committed to sustainable agriculture, diversity on our plates, biodiversity and the protection of the rural cultural landscape. As a company oriented towards the common good, working in partnership with our customers, farmers, trading partners and employees is a matter close to our hearts. For us, taking responsibility also means that we are committed to our society – regionally, nationally and internationally. We do that by investing 10% of our profits in social responsibility projects like FairBio e.V., refugee aid and supporting political demands, such as VAT relief for plant-based drinks.
„Economic success yes, but in a way that benefits everyone”
Sustainable development, now and in the future
Sustainability is a matter close to our hearts: we do not strive for maximum returns, but want to achieve the best possible impact on society and nature. This is why we take many decisions that are not purely financially rewarding, but that are beneficial to the common good. As a family-run company, we can only afford to do this if we are economically successful and continue to grow in the future.
However, this growth cannot and should not be at the expense of the environment. That is why we are constantly working to improve sustainability in all areas of business, for example by reducing waste production and resource use wherever possible and continuously reducing CO2 emissions. We have committed to a comprehensive transformation concept for this purpose: The first milestone is to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 % by 2032.