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GreenTalk with Maintal KonfitürenBack to News
27 May 2021
What inspired you to create an organic accredited assortment of jams and marmalades?
Sustainability, a careful use of resources and a family-friendly policy: these are the special concerns that we are committed to. For ecological sustainability is not a question of company philosophy, but simply the way we understand ourselves.
An important milestone was the introduction of organic preserves in the year 2000. Even at that time we recognised consumer desires for sustainable products. The turnover with organic products now accounts for more than half of our annual sales.
What were the main challenges you faced in order to get it launched; and are you still facing these challenges today?
In a market characterised by products using sugar substitutes such as agave syrup or apple-sweet, we were bold enough to bring preserves, fruit spreads and jams sweetened with organic sugar on to the market. This was a conscious decision, for this is how preserves has always been boiled. We are furthermore firmly convinced that sugar best underlines the taste of the fruit. The shelf life is also prolonged by the use of sugar and the spreads keep their colour better.
After the decision had been made to get an organic brand started, certifications were required. We accordingly reorganized the internal processes, introduced new processes and trained our staff. Procuring the raw products has been a great challenge for our purchasing department and this is partly still the case today. Raw products that were not available in large quantities when the brand was introduced are in great demand nowadays. A combination of long-term planning and flexibility are the be-all and end-all of the procurement.
After the recipe, certifications and packaging had been established, it was time to win new customers.
The “Anne’s Finest” brand is available exclusively in organic food trade in Europe. Correspondingly, the next great hurdle was to develop a completely new regular clientele. The first milestone was achieved by listings and the placing of our spreads on the shelves. The next step followed with marketing measures and the promotion of brand awareness as well as selling our products abroad.
What were the most memorable, defying moments during this time?
The first organic trade fair was a memorable moment in the history of our “Anne’s Finest” brand. How is the product received? What do customers think of the taste? How do customers evaluate its potential? Today we can say that our courage has been rewarded.
What helped you to see it through to the end?
We held on to our idea of doing it differently from everybody else. The successful introduction and the positive customer feedback ensure up to today that we can constantly expand our assortment and offer unusual flavours.
What are your plans for the next 5 years?
We are working constantly on improvement and on making our processes and products more sustainable. This also includes a more regional procurement of raw products. We have achieved an important milestone here with the procurement of regional organic sugar. We are furthermore working intensively on becoming certified as a CO2 neutral company.
www.maintal-konfitueren.de
Sustainability, a careful use of resources and a family-friendly policy: these are the special concerns that we are committed to. For ecological sustainability is not a question of company philosophy, but simply the way we understand ourselves.
An important milestone was the introduction of organic preserves in the year 2000. Even at that time we recognised consumer desires for sustainable products. The turnover with organic products now accounts for more than half of our annual sales.
What were the main challenges you faced in order to get it launched; and are you still facing these challenges today?
In a market characterised by products using sugar substitutes such as agave syrup or apple-sweet, we were bold enough to bring preserves, fruit spreads and jams sweetened with organic sugar on to the market. This was a conscious decision, for this is how preserves has always been boiled. We are furthermore firmly convinced that sugar best underlines the taste of the fruit. The shelf life is also prolonged by the use of sugar and the spreads keep their colour better.
After the decision had been made to get an organic brand started, certifications were required. We accordingly reorganized the internal processes, introduced new processes and trained our staff. Procuring the raw products has been a great challenge for our purchasing department and this is partly still the case today. Raw products that were not available in large quantities when the brand was introduced are in great demand nowadays. A combination of long-term planning and flexibility are the be-all and end-all of the procurement.
After the recipe, certifications and packaging had been established, it was time to win new customers.
The “Anne’s Finest” brand is available exclusively in organic food trade in Europe. Correspondingly, the next great hurdle was to develop a completely new regular clientele. The first milestone was achieved by listings and the placing of our spreads on the shelves. The next step followed with marketing measures and the promotion of brand awareness as well as selling our products abroad.
What were the most memorable, defying moments during this time?
The first organic trade fair was a memorable moment in the history of our “Anne’s Finest” brand. How is the product received? What do customers think of the taste? How do customers evaluate its potential? Today we can say that our courage has been rewarded.
What helped you to see it through to the end?
We held on to our idea of doing it differently from everybody else. The successful introduction and the positive customer feedback ensure up to today that we can constantly expand our assortment and offer unusual flavours.
What are your plans for the next 5 years?
We are working constantly on improvement and on making our processes and products more sustainable. This also includes a more regional procurement of raw products. We have achieved an important milestone here with the procurement of regional organic sugar. We are furthermore working intensively on becoming certified as a CO2 neutral company.
www.maintal-konfitueren.de
*Medienfabrik Gütersloh
