In September, the Schmitz-Hübsch fruit-growing business from Bornheim-Merten (North Rhine-Westphalia) became the first fruit grower in Germany to be sustainably certified with the Fair'n Green seal. Schmitz-Hübsch is the oldest German fruit-growing business with plantation cultivation and is currently managed by Roland Schmitz-Hübsch, the fourth generation of his family to run it. The company has been growing apples, pears and sweet cherries in the hilly area between Cologne and Bonn for more than 125 years. In 1989, the company switched to integrated production so that its fruit could be grown in a way that conserves resources and promotes beneficial insects.
To increase biodiversity in the orchards, the company has been developing new concepts in cooperation with the Rheinische Kulturlandschaft foundation since 2014 and has been a pilot company in North Rhine-Westphalia for ecological diversity in orchards in cooperation with the Klein Altendorf campus and the University of Hohenheim since 2017. For operations manager Roland Schmitz-Hübsch, the next logical step was to participate in the Fair'n Green sustainability project as a pilot fruit-growing operation in Germany since 2020. After the project, which was carried out together with the University of Bonn, was completed in 2022, the company is now properly certified.
Dr Linda Taft (Deputy Mayor of Bornheim), Roland Schmitz-Hübsch and Florian Reinert (board member of Fair and Green e. V.)
Resource-conserving and environmentally friendly fruit growing
"Our apples, pears and sweet cherries grow in the best soil, protected by the foothills since 1896. We have been committed to resource-efficient and environmentally friendly cultivation for years and now want to take a holistic approach to sustainability in our fruit business together with Fair'n Green, evaluate it and develop it further so that future generations can also grow fruit here," explains Roland Schmitz-Hübsch, outlining his motivation for having his business certified as sustainable.
Fair'n Green is an internationally recognised sustainability certification that has been successfully used in viticulture since 2013. The 220 criteria in the catalogue of questions were adapted for fruit growing so that the sustainability assessment can also be optimally used for this agricultural sector. As part of the certification and subsequent consultations, short- and long-term goals are set that cover the four pillars of sustainability.
Excellent environmental performance
The Schmitz-Hübsch fruit-growing business already has an excellent environmental performance thanks to the generation of its own energy using photovoltaic systems, the use of electric vehicles and heat recovery from the cold stores. In the area of sustainable water management, the company works with a rainwater storage basin, fully automatic irrigation control using soil sensors and efficient drip irrigation. Also worthy of mention are the 11,000 m² biodiversity area with robust fruit trees and regional seeding, as well as the 3,000 m² flower strips along the orchards.
In addition, the company has a strong social commitment, which is reflected in the opening of the Museum of Fruit Growing in the former fruit canning factory and in regular tours of the company for school classes. "We are pleased that more and more companies are joining our initiative to exchange ideas with like-minded companies and further improve their sustainability. In addition to extending the certification to the upstream and downstream value chain of viticulture, the further development of other agricultural crops was the next logical step. With Fair'n Green, we want to be the point of contact for committed companies that work sustainably – which is why we warmly invite all interested parties to join us in exchanging ideas," reports Florian Reinert, board member of Fair and Green e. V.
For more information:
Fair and Green e. V.
Graurheindorfer Straße 92
53117 Bonn
Tel: +49 (0) 228 763 78 51
[email protected]
www.fairandgreen.com
Roland Schmitz-Hübsch
Schmitz-Hübsch Obstbau
Bonn-Brühler-Str. 14
53332 Bornheim - Merten
Tel: 02227 - 82 22 3
[email protected]
www.schmitzhuebsch.de