Criticism of Klöckner

Animals are nature. So are we humans. Photo: Pixabay for © Pexels, 2019;

In a press release dated December 11, 2019, Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner speaks of "many improvements in the livestock sector". In the Animal Welfare Report 2015 - 2018 of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the individual points were simultaneously made public.

While the author of the report wants to identify an attitude "with which concrete measures the Federal Government is contributing to an improvement in the situation of farm animals, pets and laboratory animals", the German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V.) and we see the current situation as less rosy.

Kick-off

A large part of the press release is devoted to the killing of chicks, the efforts to achieve animal welfare labelling and the problems involved in implementing animal welfare standards in Germany. "If we want to prevent our agricultural production from migrating abroad and being produced there under conditions over which we have little influence, we need European regulations", said the Federal Minister of Agriculture.

Measurable confidence

After more than four decades of our own experience in the food sector as a specialist wholesaler for food packaging, we no longer trust certificates, seals or documents. In our Code of Conduct of 25 October 2017, we have clearly stated our position.

We therefore much prefer to trust the so-called Animal Welfare Label of the German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V.), which, according to our own research, is the only one that does not list any interpretable criteria for the applicants' evidence and is therefore measurable and serious in this respect. "All the others speak constantly in the subjunctive: would, had, could, if possible, if feasible ... then it can be left as it is", comments Ingo H. Klett, Head of Corporate Communications at WEBER Packaging GmbH.

Contents

Die wichtigsten Punkte des Tierschutzberichts für den Zeitraum 2015 - 2018 sind …

• the termination of non-curative interventions in animals

• the prevention of slaughter of highly pregnant animals (note: why pregnant animals at all?!?) the introduction of a voluntary (note: Ooops ... Fehlerteufel, dear BMEL. Back to the beginning again!) state animal welfare label the promotion of animal welfare at national and EU level to prevent distortions of competition

• the determination of the sex of chicks already in the egg

• the work of the State Secretary Committee for Animal Welfare specifically on laying hens and piglets

• the keeping of sows in crates, which has to be reduced in time (note: why at all in this confinement ...?)

• the implementation of coalition agreements on animal welfare

We invite you to use the commentary function on our official Facebook company page or right here afterwards to discuss the topics that interest you, to exchange ideas, to reflect, to philosophize and, ideally, to work constructively on solution-oriented answers that simplify your everyday business life and provide even more clarity for your customers and end users.

#unbreakingnews

Just as the constructively working editorial offices we support with a subscription each for solution-oriented, purely member-funded, ad-free and therefore truly independent journalism - Correctiv, Krautreporter, Perspective Daily and The Correspondent - set an example for us, we as the Corporate Communications department of WEBER Packaging GmbH also assume that, even with the greatest effort, there can be no purely objective reporting due to the very individual personal development and origins of the authors and editors.

Open. Honest. Honest.

In the spirit of a living culture of transparency, we are therefore happy to disclose to you at any time what connections we have or to whom our authors may feel obligated: as a trading company, for example, we enjoy the great privilege of not being obligated to anyone in the end and thus always being able to achieve the optimum for our clientele.

Ingo H. Klett – the author of this post – is a freelance public relations and visual artist, but does not represent the interests of any lobby groups.

What luck

Office dog Tass with his toy bear. Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Galgo male Tass now enjoys his life

Sincere luck - in the end, three had that. Because when Tass from Spain, a dog from a German-Spanish animal protection project, moved into the house of the Elke and Michael Weber family in the Zabergäu, he was of course happy and soon after that our whole team was happy too.

In December 2018 Michael and Elke Weber had adopted the Galgo male of Spanish origin. According to the information of the Tierschutz Spanien e.V., he listened to the name Tass and at that time he was 2 years old and 65 centimetres "tall" - from floor to shoulder. He was tested negative for the infectious disease leishmaniasis, which can be found regularly in dogs in southern European regions.

Already from April 2018 on, the animal welfare association looked for a suitable home for him. However, before this was to happen, he spent some time in a foster home near Schwäbisch Hall. Tolerated with cats...

Characteristic features

...but he still has some very nice ones. For example, our cup is very human. An affectionate family dog, with whom even sighthound newcomers can get along well. Gudrun Sauter, the 1st chairwoman of the animal protection association, who was responsible for the mediation, described him as loving and balanced.

We took Tass out of the perrera in a pitiful state at the beginning of April. He was completely emaciated and very weak. One of our foster homes took him into their home and nursed him back to health. After a few weeks he was well again.

– Gudrun Sauter –

From 18 August 2018 Tass lived at his foster home in a larger group with other sighthounds. Rather reservedly one would not have to ask him twice to play or run. Outside he was also friendly to small dogs.

In the office we experience Tass meanwhile as very affectionate and obedient. He wants to please us humans and - as affectionate and friendly as he is - he also deals well with children who visit us occasionally.

Elke Weber: "Living in the house with us does not cause Tass any difficulties. As Mrs Sauter wrote to us at the time, he was house-trained from day one. Tass loves to be outside, runs excellently on a leash and loves to jump on the meadow or in the garden.

have they gotten onto the dog now, too?

Then you should know that Gudrun Sauter has the official permission according to paragraph 11 of the Animal Welfare Act for the mediation, trade, keeping, care, accommodation and import as well as for the movement and training of animals.

So if you are also interested in a dog, then you should first look around in the animal shelters - the German Animal Welfare Association is calling for this on the occasion of tomorrow's meeting.

World Dog Day 2019

...on. About 75,000 dogs are taken in every year in the 550 animal shelters affiliated to the German Animal Welfare Association and then wait longingly for a new loving home. In contrast to the adoption of a local animal shelter dog, the anonymous purchase of dogs via the Internet is dangerous. A dog from the animal protection is special and a valuable unique specimen," says Miriam Holbach, specialist for animal homes at the German Animal Welfare Association. And Tass' master explains it like this:

It is love.

– Michael Weber –

For this very reason, animal rights activists warn against buying dogs on the Internet, because interested parties usually can neither verify the identity of the dealer nor the previous history of the animal. But with the campaign...

Animal shelters help. Help animal shelters!

...the German Animal Welfare Association draws attention to the valuable work of the animal shelters and the uniqueness of the shelter animals in time for World Dog Day tomorrow, 10 October. Over 740 animal protection associations with about 550 club-owned animal homes are affiliated to the umbrella organisation.

Tass would appreciate your understanding.

A motif of the campaign. Photo: Tomaso Rodriguez for © Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V., 2019

EDEKA does without cucumber foil

EDEKA does not use plastic for all cucumbers. The new packaging strategy independent of this is based on the three pillars of reduction, reusable and recycling. Photo: © obs/EDEKA ZENTRALE AG & Co. KG/EDEKA / Christian Schmid, 2019

EDEKA now offers all cucumbers only unpackaged, saving 94 tons of plastic per year. This applies to all conventional and organic cucumbers, which are centrally purchased by EDEKA Fruchtkontor and delivered to the retail trade.

Tomatoes are also increasingly being sold in bulk or in cardboard trays instead of plastic in EDEKA stores. But not only for fruit and vegetables, but across the entire private label range, the EDEKA network optimises all products with regard to their packaging.

"We use three levers: "Where possible, we avoid plastic. At the same time, we promote reusable solutions and, thirdly, increase the proportion of recycled materials.

...says Markus Mosa, chairman of the board of the EDEKA headquarters. "But we also want to raise awareness of the fact that every individual has a choice when it comes to purchasing." With this objective, EDEKA launched a umfangreiche Informationsoffensive, to promote the use of environmentally friendly alternatives among consumers.

Under the motto "unpackaged", EDEKA is bringing the topic of plastic packaging into focus on all channels. Until the end of September, the three EDEKA strategies reduction, reusable and recycling will be presented using concrete product examples. Even with unconventional means - such as the new Online-Video "unverpackt", das seit dem Launch bei EDEKA auf YouTube und Facebook für Aufmerksamkeit sorgt. 

Cucumbers completely unveiled

The dealer's interim balance sheet is impressive: EDEKA currently has the lowest plastic quota in the fruit and vegetable departments and already offers more than half of this range without plastic packaging. This is the result of a market check* by the consumer advice centres in May 2019. And this quota is set to fall further: with immediate effect, EDEKA Fruchtkontor, which supplies fruit and vegetables to retailers throughout Germany, is completely dispensing with the plastic film used to shrink-wrap some of its cucumbers.

EDEKA has also created facts for other high-turnover products: For example, 5.4 million plastic trays are replaced by cardboard trays for truss tomatoes alone every year. Another example: By marking many fruits and vegetables with labels or laser printing (smart branding), around 50 tons of plastic can be saved per year. 

Reusable!

EDEKA also ensures less plastic waste with reusable products. Reusable nets are offered as an alternative to the thin plastic bags for fruit and vegetables. In three and a half years, EDEKA has already saved over 100 million conventional knot bags.

Reusable boxes or tray solutions are also becoming more and more common at the fresh food counters for meat and sausages. In the Büsum pilot market EDEKA Jensen alone, more than 2,000 of the refillable cans are already in circulation. Already established for a long time in almost all markets of the EDEKA network: resource-saving reusable systems for beverages, especially for reusable glass bottles from regional bottlers. 

A third element in the reduction of packaging waste is the reuse of recyclable materials. The EDEKA network works consistently to increase the proportion of recycled materials in the packaging of its own-brand products. For example, the orange juice bottles of its own brand GUT&GÜNSTIG now have a recycled plastic content of 50 percent, which saves 87 tons of new plastic per year.

Easter. Eggs. Omelet.

Hier kocht der Chef selbst. Foto: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Egg omelette for the team

YUMMIE! … That was a surprise today on Maundy Thursday…

One of our two chefs swung the wooden spoon for us this morning. To find out in detail what was available for us and which job descriptions as our future employees will also be able to enjoy such surprises - if you apply for one of our two current vacancies - you can read [ here ].

Hof & Markt reports

Die Webversion der Publikation Hof & Markt aus Österreich. Screenshot: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Cooperation objective and article topic: Sustainability

In issue no. 2 / 2019 the Austrian trade journal Hof & Markt on page 28 an editorial contribution to our current cooperation with KOMET Maschinenfabrik GmbH.

Specifically, it is about our sealable WEBAseal Holzstoff Menu trays that are made from renewable raw materials.

profit before benefit

"Bück Dich Hoch" aus dem Album "Befehl von ganz unten" der Formation © DEICHKIND, 2016

Hump up!?

Not with us. We live a benefit before profit maximization as the highest maxim of our actions, which is not least also part of our fixed code of conduct.

But we always have as much fun as the Deichkind formation.

Have a nice weekend :-)

What do you want to read!?

A screenshot of the current appearance of WEBER on MEDIUM. Fashion photography: Christina Kapl Photography for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2018

Your personal feedback

...is the most important criterion for us when developing, researching and preparing editorial content. That's why we would love to find out what drives you and what excites you in the area of food packaging and waste management.

What do you want to read!?

On the journalistic platform MEDIUM, which sees itself as a provider of #unbreakingnews - and thus relies on slow, deeply researched reporting - we feel comfortable. We hope you'll forgive us for the fact that we're only in English at the beginning.

Now you can criticize :-)

About any kind of feedback – by clicking on his following full name – is pleased to send your

Ingo H. Klett
Head of Corporate Communications
WEBER Packaging GmbH

PACKAGING.IDEAS.BOTH.

Exclusive reporting

Grafik: Ingo H. Klett für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

DHBW student Noemi Gerhäusser recently travelled to Central America for several weeks and reported – from Andrés Quintanilla Bellucci's coffee farm in the Departamento San Miguel in El Salvador – exclusively for us here in the WEBER news blog.

You can find the individual blog posts either by scrolling or by a specific search using the tag 'El Salvador' especially here in the news blog.

See now in your last blog post the original English-language or the additionally in German subtitled video post!

One last Interview

Andrés und ich nach unserem „Farmers Talk“. Foto: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My travel report

9. Teil – Farmers Talk mit Andrés Quintanilla 

At the end of my time in El Salvador, I interviewed coffee farmer Andrés Quintanilla from the Departamento San Miguel and asked him the questions that the readers of the blog series about my stay in El Salvador had previously written to me.

But you can see for yourself...

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Mein Interview mit deutschen Untertiteln

FRAGEN WIR ANDRÈS…

Ein Videoclip der © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My original interview in English language

ASKING ANDRÈS…

Ein Videoclip der © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

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Closing words

I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who made this exciting time possible for me. First of all, my dual partner, WEBER Packaging GmbH, who gave me time off; the Quintanilla family, who welcomed me so warmly into their family and thus gave me a second home; and Doctor Schwarz, who established contact with Andrés Quintanilla.

EDEKA AURACHER WINS!

Der Preis. Foto: Ingo H. Klett für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Congratulations!

Our compliments go to Mr Thomas Auracher for the achieved Goldenen Apfel 2019 for his outstanding performance in the fruit and vegetable department of the Edeka Aurach branch in Brackenheim

Concealed in the background: Our established WEBApouch fruit and vegetable bag dispenser system.

Last discovered by Ingo H. Klett (Foto) for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

La Finca Hamburgo, Mexico

Ein Teil der Finca Hamburgo. Foto: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

                                                            My travel report

8. Teil – Three days visiting Mexico

Since our host, coffee farmer Andrés Quintanilla, had to travel to Colombia for three days on business, we were allowed to spend three days in Mexico at the Finca Hamburgo. The Finca is managed by the Edelmann family and also produces for Amarella Trading e.K. Green coffee.

The finca The area is a small village with about 500 hectares. Besides the coffee fields there is a carpenter, a doctor, a restaurant and a hotel. Furthermore, the finca provides houses for the approximately 300 employees. Like Andrés, the family attaches great importance to avoiding pesticides and thus provides a habitat for many insects.

THE FINCA

The eldest son of the family, Bruno Edelmann, guided us around the farm and told us that during the harvest 400 to 500 pickers are employed! He also told us that the coffee is not only exported to Europe, Japan and the USA, but that the family also runs three coffee stores in Mexico. For this purpose Bruno specially trained as a coffeologist and attended a roasting workshop. This way he can roast the coffee himself and does not have to outsource this. Since he roasts daily, we were able to see exactly how a roaster works. Since I myself only roast the shop roasters der Coffee-Tech Engineering Ltd. it was particularly exciting to see such a large roaster.

This roaster can roast 15 kg of green coffee. Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Furthermore, the drum is not heated by incandescent spirals, but by flames triggered by gas. Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Edelmann family with Maren and me. Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Support for coffee farmers

The sentence on the banner means: Support for the development of the coffee culture in El Salvador. Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My travel report

Part 7 – A fund for farmers

Today we were allowed to accompany coffee farmer Andrés Quintanilla at a bank event. The bank has set up a fund to support coffee farmers, in order to provide information events for further training. At these events the farmers can exchange their experiences and help each other. The bank's support measures consist of financial resources, technical assistance and guidance on sustainable coffee cultivation. Just one example of the technical assistance is drones, which the bank acquired from a Berlin-based company in 2015.

Networking the farmer

Today's event focused on the fertilization of coffee farms. First, employees of the ecoBusiness Fund, the bank's fund, gave a presentation on their work: there, customers can make information from their farm available to other farmers. The ecoBusiness Fund also has the task of collecting data. With the help of drones, the size of the farm, the exact location and even the amount of plants can be determined. It also makes it possible to identify certain soil characteristics. The soil plays an important role for the farmers, as it varies from area to area and thus offers different bases for cultivation.

Minimum factor trace elements

This is where fertilization comes into play: If the coffee farm is located in an area that offers little sodium, for example, this trace element must be added. Otherwise, the plant - similar to humans - could show signs of deficiency or, in the worst case, it would not grow. An important rule in fertilization is Liebig's Law of the Minimum, which states that the growth of a plant is limited by the relatively scarcest resource. Farmers have the possibility to "order" a soil diagnosis from a company and then use the results to plan their fertilization, planting and cultivation. The advantage of such an analysis is that the farmer then knows exactly what he needs to supply the plants for optimal growth and thus does not spend money on unnecessary means.

Read part 8 here in the WEBER News blog!

The 2019 presidential election

Quintanilla family on the way to the polling place. Photo: Andrés Quintanilla for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My travel report

6. Teil – Election Day 

On 3 February 2019 the election of the president took place in El Salvador. For weeks, each party tried to convince the voters of their candidate by means of posters, television appearances and advertising campaigns. Since Andrés Quintanillas father is not only a lawyer but also a former vice president of the country, the election preparations were of course followed closely. In this way, we too quickly got a picture of the candidates and their election promises.

In the colors of the party

On election Sunday we went to the polling station together. Here it is customary to dress in the colors of the party logo or to draw attention to it through accessories. This way you can quickly see who votes for which party and many Salvadorans are fully behind their party. In order to be allowed to vote, one has to be 18 years old and present one's identity card. Then the fingerprint is taken to prevent voters from voting in two polling stations. The ballot papers themselves are very simple and contain only the logos of the parties. Andrés explains to us that many people can neither read nor write and therefore only the logos are shown, which are then ticked off.  

The polling stations were open until 5 pm and then the counting started. Every single ballot paper is presented by an election worker in front of a camera and he has to recite the name of the party out loud. There is a representative from each party who receives all the ballot papers from his party and has to count them.

Read here in the WEBER Nachrichtenblog the 7th part!

Step by step to paella

Die Paella – Schritt 1. Foto: Noemi Gerhäusser für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Mein Reisebericht

Part 5 – A devilishly good paellaa

Today my hosts had a birthday party. Of course, such a party cannot be without delicious food. So Alexandra, Andrés' mother, decided to cook paella. She showed us step by step how she cooks it and what to pay special attention to.

 STEP 1

(Picture at the top) First the diced meat is fried in olive oil. Today it was chicken and pork, but you can also use other meat. Or you can exchange the meat for seafood.

 STEP 2

The paella - step 2 Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Then add carrots, colorful peppers, onions and tomatoes and let the mixture simmer a bit.

STEP 3

The paella - step 3 Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

When the vegetables are half cooked, put the meat-vegetable mixture on one half of the pan and spread uncooked rice on the other half. Make sure that the rice is evenly distributed. Then broth is added and everything is mixed together.

STEP 4 

The paella – step 4 Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

After about 5 minutes, sugar snap peas and olives are spread on the almost finished paella. Then it just has to simmer until the rice is ready. To speed up the cooking process Alexandra uses banana leaves to cover the pan. Afterwards the leaves are used to keep the rice warm.

And as Alexandra likes to say:

“Every woman has to know the devil to know how to cook.”

Read here in the WEBER Nachrichtenblog the 6th part! 

Over rough and smooth

Fully equipped with hiking boots, functional clothing and a cap against the sun. Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My travel report

Part 4 - At 30° Celsius in the highlands

How long does it take for a coffee plant to bear cherries and thus produce a yield? Coffee plants need about five years before you can pick them for the first time. We were allowed to explore a whole farm of such plants cross-country! Five years ago, coffee farmer Andrés Quintanilla bought an old plantation and replanted it. About 25,000 coffee plants were planted and tended here. Now they are carrying the first cherries, which is of course a reason for Andrés to be happy!

Learning to read coffee plants

We started our trip at an altitude of 1.200 meters and started at 30 degrees. With us were two advisors and the Foreman (the Foreman is the deputy of Andrés on the farm, which means he coordinates the work etc.) of the plantation. They explained to Andrés how to cut the plants in the best possible way to get the best possible yield. For us it was exciting to see what you can see in the plants. For example, you can see from the branches whether the last months were rainy months or dry months.

The dark areas grew during the dry months and the light ones during the rainy season. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

You can also compare the branches with the rings on trees, by which you can tell how old the plant is.

After we had visited the plantation for two hours and meanwhile we were quite exhausted, we reached our destination: the house of the Foreman. From there we drove back to the nursery and started to enter all shadow plants in tables. Why this is so important, I will explain in the following article!

Our way through the plantation. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Read part 5 here in the WEBER Nachrichtenblog!

A visit to the Ministry of Agriculture

Photo: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My travel report

3rd part – A bugs life

A large part of the coffee produced by Andrés Quintanilla is exported to Germany. The company Amarella Trading, which is based in Mannheim, then sells the coffee to roasting companies or cafés that want to roast it themselves. To make this export possible, Andrés must register with the Ministry of Agriculture. Otherwise he would not be allowed to export. He must also register for production and processing at the mill. These registrations are important for statistics, for example. Every 15 days, Andrés has to submit a form to the Ministry, on which it is stated how much coffee has been harvested. If an export is imminent, this must also be registered. In addition, a certain amount of money has to be paid out of every sack of coffee sold, which can then be used for research into coffee plants, financing of trade fairs and marketing activities. For example, the Barista Championship held last weekend in San Salvador was financially supported.

Harmful and beneficial insects in coffee cultivation

The ministry also offers a small exhibition of insects living on coffee farms. Insects are an important part of coffee production. The insect world offers "good and bad bugs", as Andrés describes the situation. He explains that there is, for example, a red spider that eats the surface of the leaves and thus damages the whole plant. But in compensation for this, there are larger spiders living on the plantation that eat the red spiders and thus have a positive effect on the plant world.

In addition, many birds live on the farm, which also act as a "natural insecticide". One example is birds that feed on a certain type of grasshopper and thus prevent the grasshoppers from infesting the plants. Because of this coexistence of the animals, Andrés is able to avoid the use of sprays for the most part and thus produces untreated coffee.

Organic without expensive certificates

When asked why he does not have his production certified organic, he laughs and asks the counter-question "Why should I? Certificates have to be bought anew every year and are extremely expensive. In addition, there are many farms that have some certificates but still do not act according to these values (e.g. in connection with child labour). Therefore it is important for him to show us that even without certificates it is possible to produce a good coffee (which certainly meets all the requirements of "organic coffee") by paying attention to the interaction of the animals, the vegetation and a sustainable water management.

Butterflies living on the plantation. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Bees, flies and bugs... Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

The El Salvador group: Maren, Andrés and me. Photo: Andrés Quintanilla for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Coffee beans that have been eaten by beetles. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Here you can see smaller beetles, which can nevertheless cause great damage. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

This is a collection of the various bugs that live on coffee plantations. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

In this box you can see dragonflies, walking leaves and butterflies. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Another box with bugs and butterflies. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Read part 4 here in the news blog!

El volcán de San Miguel Boscotlan

Looking to the left past the Volcán de San Miguel. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

My travel report

Part 2 – Sunset at the volcano

Farmer Andrés Quintanilla – during which I am currently spending my stay in El Salvador - wanting to show us as many sides of his country as possible and to enable us to take perfect pictures, we drove up a mountain that is opposite a volcano. Here we should experience a beautiful sunset.

At this time of the year the sun already sets between 17:00 and 17:30. Therefore we started early from our eyes to watch this sunset. Our goal was to watch the sunset behind the Vulkan Chaparrastique.

Der Vulkan Chaparrastique. Foto: Noemi Gerhäusser für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Der Vulkan ist 2.129 Meter hoch und liegt im Departamento San Miguel, wo auch die sogenannte ‘nurseria’ (vglb. engl.: nursery) ist. Diese ist die Baumschule der Kaffeeplantage, in der die Kaffeepflanzen, Blumen und Früchte gezogen werden, um sie dann auf den Plantagen auszupflanzen.

Eine sogenannte Kaffeeschule. Foto: Noemi Gerhäusser für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Einzelne Stecklinge von Coffeapflanzen. Foto: Noemi Gerhäusser für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Nach einer sehr holprigen Auffahrt auf den Berg kamen wir auf einer Art Aussichtsplattform an, von der aus wir die perfekte Sicht auf einen wunderschönen Sonnenuntergang hatten. Neben dem Vulkan liegt ein riesiger Krater, der eine ehemalige Kaffeeplantage ist. Man konnte sogar noch kleine Gebäude zwischen den vielen Bäumen erkennen.

Sonnenuntergang im Departamento San Miguel. Foto: Noemi Gerhäusser für die © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Wie man auf den Bildern sieht, hat sich die Fahrt auf den Berg auf jeden Fall gelohnt!

Lesen Sie hier im Nachrichtenblog den 3. Teil!

How it all started...

How it all began. Photo: private

My travel report

1st part - preparation and arrival

Dear Readers,

In the next few weeks I will publish here in the WEBER news blog every two days on average individual articles about my stay on the coffee farm of Andrés Quintanilla in El Salvador. But... Andrés Qu…

First of all I would like to introduce myself briefly

I am Noemi Gerhäusser and I am studying Business Administration Food Management at the DHBW Heilbronn. My dual partner is WEBER Packaging GmbH. I am currently in the practical phase of my third semester. Each semester, my studies include a product group, which is then dealt with in more detail and deepened with excursions. One of these product groups includes coffee. Since we in the company obtain our coffee directly from the coffee farms (among others from El Salvador) and roast it ourselves, my interest was already aroused and I wanted to see for myself what is behind the drink, which many people can't do without.

My travel preparation  

At first I started to inform myself about the country El Salvador. Which animals live here, what is the infrastructure, which sights are there, what are typical dishes... After all this was clarified and the coffee farmer Andrés Quintanilla promised that I could come, I went to the travel agency! At short notice an already graduated student had contacted Dr. Schwarz and wanted to inform herself about the possibilities of a stay. Soon it was clear that we would make this trip as a couple.

So it happened that we would actually have started our adventure on January 15, 2019, but because of the strike at Frankfurt Airport we had to rebook on January 17. 

An overview of the flight time. Screenshot: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

After almost 24 hours on the road, we arrived at our destination at 19.30 local time. Andrés picked us up directly at the airport and at home we were welcomed warmly by everybody. After a soup for refreshment we were so dead tired that we just fell into bed.

The view from our room in the house in San Salvador. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

A grey squirrel in our garden. Photo: Noemi Gerhäusser for © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2019

Read the second part here in the news blog!

WEBER in #socialmedia

WEBER in the social media

Where you follow us everywhere!? – Well, here :-)

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#schweinchenrosa

By the way, the original lead motif in piggy pink, which we are allowed to use here, was written by Elena Koycheva from Lisbon in Portugal. As a creative, she is interested in minimalism, food, still life and concept art and says of herself that she is a freelance content creator, cat lover and a Number One Shrug Emoji fan. On Instagram Elena can be reached via her account @lenneek.

Noemi reports from El Salvador

DHBW-Studentin Noemi Gerhäusser. Foto: © WEBER Packaging GmbH, 2018

As a DHBW student, Noemi Gerhäusser is completing her dual studies at WEBER Packaging GmbH.

Out of her own interest in topics such as coffee cultivation in Central America, she has currently taken the opportunity to do an internship abroad at our business partner - the coffee plantation La Buena Esperanza in El Salvador.

As part of the second project work (PA2) of her studies, she will be reporting regularly on her work and research results about Andres Quintanilla's adventurously accessible coffee farm in the Cacahuatique mountains here in this blog over the next six weeks.

Stay tuned - Read the 1st part here in the blog right now!