Since this year, ElbeFruit UG has been importing legumes from Ethiopia in addition to Guatemala and Egypt. The management of the young and innovative company was on site in May, inquiring about the local conditions. Sales Manager Edgar Günther shared his experience exclusively with FreshPlaza.
Like the beans that they cultivate in the southern highlands of Ethiopia, the peasants brave the local challenges. "As experts on their land and climatic conditions, they work with us to ensure productive and sustainable growth, both during the extremely hot dry season and during the rainy season, when hail storms and strong winds occur."
Transparency along the entire supply chain
The successful community is built on a network of people committed to good farming practices and a positive environmental philosophy. ElbeFruit UG accompanies and manages the entire production and distribution chain, from the plant seeds to the finished packaged food. The ten full-time agronomists of the company provide advice and support to the farmers, a team of experts supports the farm management and in the nursery 20 seedlings prepare the seedlings.
The core element of the business, however, is transparency across the entire value chain. Günther says: "This is reflected in the regular monitoring of crops, professional harvesting methods, on-site refrigerated storage, consignment tracking and packaging that meets stringent quality requirements, and on-site visits at least every two weeks are part of our promise to our customers and partners."
Land and resource management
Legumes are a key component of regenerative organic agriculture because they naturally release nitrogen back into the soil. The beans are central elements in the permaculture concept. "We want more than just organic cultivation," says Günther. "Our practices are designed to conserve land and biodiversity, which will benefit future generations of people and plants, and our cultivation values focus on sustainable principles, such as the use of perennial crops, mixed crops and a year-round harvest, which is a regular feature for farmers Income means, the next step is to start using solar powered irrigation systems."
Commitment to the partners
Together with the farmers - the partners - they are working not only to redefine environmental and social standards, but also to be economically successful. "The dedication of our peasants is bearing fruit, leading to higher and more regular incomes for families, many of which are led by women, and global partnerships and access to foreign exchange have resulted in the economic success of our farmers, who are in the global organic community integrated."
Main variety in cultivation is the bean variety Volta. The Volta is a proven strain, known for its high resilience, good taste and slender, straight pod. "We harvest every year between October and June." Possible packaging units are 4 kg cartons or MAP flex bags We are happy to bind you by hand as a plastic-free and natural solution," Günther concludes.
For more information:
Elbe Fruit UG
Vertriebsleiter: Edgar Günther
Peter-Marquard-Str. 20
22303 Hamburg
Tel: + 49-157 5175 1475
Tel:: +49 40 2999 64304 opt. 2
edgar@elbefruit.eu
www.elbefruit.eu