A sustainable, respectful approach to nature and the frugal management of natural resources are ingrained in our corporate culture.
The growing environmental and sustainability consciousness evident especially in Austria and Germany is increasingly reflected in product selections available in supermarkets. The trend to natural fruit yoghurts from organic ingredients places high demands on traceability of ingredients both for the manufacturers of the fruit preparations and for the dairy industry that uses them in the final products. Whereas until recently the standards for the production of fruit preparations were largely product-quality requirements related to the raw materials used, more and more the environmental and social aspects of how the agricultural raw materials are grown and processed are also acquiring greater significance.
In 2007, to improve the control and availability of procurement synergies, the fruit purchasing function was centralised by transferring it from the local manufacturing sites to AGRANA Fruit Services GmbH. Operating in all major fruit growing regions worldwide, this unit is the global fruit purchasing organisation for AGRANA Fruit.
To be able to optimise economic, environmental and social aspects of the supply chain, AGRANA operates its own primary-processing plants in Argentina, Morocco, Mexico, Poland and Ukraine where the freshly harvested fruit is sorted, cleaned and chilled. As well, the Group strikes strategic alliances with fruit producers, especially in organic raw materials. The direct sourcing through contract growing and exclusive supply contracts permits an ever tighter traceability and, through the closer collaboration with fruit producers, allows AGRANA to meet the requirements of its food industry customers even more precisely and effectively.
The manufacture of fruit preparations for use in 100% natural organic yoghurts places particularly high demands on all stages of production, from cultivation all the way to careful processing. Neither flavours nor preservatives or dyes must be added – yet the products must always achieve consistent flavour intensity. As a result of variation in weather conditions, harvest times and fruit sources, the typical strawberry flavour expected by the consumer in an organic strawberry yoghurt can only be achieved by blending different strawberry varieties.
To select the most flavourful varieties with the best characteristics for production in Europe, AGRANA started a variety selection programme in 2009 together with Vienna’s University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences and Vienna University of Technology. By 2012 the most intensely flavoured strawberry varieties will be chosen and cultivated for large-scale use in partnerships with organic strawberry producers.
At the beginning of 2010 AGRANA launched a collaboration with organic farmers in Poland. The purpose is to ensure the future raw material base of the best and strongest-tasting organic quality. Under the agreements with the participating organic farmers, AGRANA supports them by providing strawberry plants and cultivation expertise. The resulting fruit crops are directly processed at the AGRANA facility in Ostrołęka, Poland, where they are either frozen for use in AGRANA organic strawberry preparations or aseptically processed further.