As an organic pioneer from the very beginning, he has been actively involved in the cultivation and import of organically produced pumpkins right from the start. He also dedicated himself to niche products such as organic wild garlic, garlic and various delicatessen products. On 1 April 2014, Georg Thalhammer officially stepped down as managing director of the company he founded in 2008 and handed over the baton to Nicolai Timaeus and Barbara Burk-Bieberstein, the managing directors of the new producer association Georgs Bio-Bauern & Co. Handels KG, which was founded for this purpose. We spoke to the former and new managing directors about the development of the company and the organic sector.
The company's new management team: Nicolai Timaeus and Barbara Burk-Bieberstein.
The newly founded company was created from the commitment of Georg Thalhammer's pumpkin growers and the Bio-Bauern mbH marketing company, with a total of 19 shareholders. "There were already certain synergy effects between the two companies in terms of customers and product ranges, so a closer business structure was in fact only a logical step," says Timaeus, who, in addition to his activities in the management of the new company, is still responsible for the potatoes and field vegetables segment at Vermarktungsgesellschaft Bio-Bauern mbH as an authorised signatory and division manager. Mrs Burk-Bieberstein, who has been responsible for personnel at Georg Thalhammer's company for 13 years, will ensure continuity in the new company's processes so that business operations can continue almost without a hitch.
Thalhammer: "Due to the lack of a successor, I was looking for an optimal solution to secure the future of the company and the associated organic farmers. It is particularly important to me that the farmers are offered fair conditions, as I am originally a farmer myself. That is why I am very happy that the producers in the new structure are also owners of the company. From a marketing perspective, the new structures will allow us to work together more effectively and create meaningful programmes."
Georg Thalhammer continues to work as a consultant for the company.
Pleasing growth for garlic cultivation
An important product pillar is garlic from regional organic cultivation, which is marketed in both fresh and dried form. Timaeus: "We are increasingly professionalising the cultivation, handling and storage of fresh and dried garlic and are in a position to further expand the areas here in the future. The focus here is on expanding the possible seasonal coverage of the market with domestic organic produce."
However, the main product is and remains the pumpkin, mainly Hokkaido. In the Palatinate and the Würzburg region, early pumpkins have been prepared for the domestic market since the end of July. Thalhammer: "There have been minor losses in the early plants in the Palatinate due to the wet field conditions. Overall, however, we expect the pumpkin harvest to be average to good. However, we will only be able to make more precise statements about quality and shelf life after early marketing, as soon as we start storing the pumpkins." As in previous years, it was already possible to offer the trade a wide range of domestic produce in July and August.
As with garlic, the aim here is also to extend the domestic season using sophisticated storage technology, Thalhammer continues. So far, the German organic market has been using Dutch organic pumpkins from December onwards. "We have already completed our first trials with CA storage, and the results show us that it would be possible to store domestic pumpkins until February-March of the following year. At the same time, we are also aware that a pumpkin is priced differently to an apple, for example. So at some point, the question arises as to whether the investment is worthwhile in relation to the product price."
This year's garlic harvest.
Development of delicatessen production
"Both in the area of raw materials and in delicatessen production, we have not only set ourselves the goal of expanding the product range, but also of optimising processes and recipes. In product development, we always try to establish a link to the fresh product: Accordingly, we are now considering which products would make sense based on our raw ingredients," adds Timaeus. Since stepping down as Managing Director, Thalhammer has also been working intensively on developing new products. "Several good ideas and approaches have already emerged, which we now want to work on bit by bit. In my new home town close to the French-Italian border, there are several organic markets, all of which are surprisingly well attended, even though it is a small provincial town. There might also be potential here for our organic delicatessen products."
Images: Georgs Bio-Bauern GmbH & Co. Handels KG
For more information:
Nicolai Timaeus & Barbara Burk-Bieberstein
Georgs Bio-Bauern GmbH & Co. Handels KG
Tannenweg 10
97854 Steinfeld
Tel: +49 9359 973900
[email protected]
www.georgs-biobauern.de