Converting to organic farming is costly for farmers in the first few years. This is where REWE's new trailblazers with Naturland come in. From the second year of conversion, REWE now gives farmers the opportunity to market their conversion goods as trailblazers.
Many customers want fruit and vegetables that are free from pesticides and have a natural flavour - a quality that organic products deliver. However, converting to organic farming is costly for farmers in the first few years. This is because they are already producing according to organic criteria during this conversion phase, but are not yet allowed to label their products as "organic". This is where REWE's new pioneers with Naturland come in.
Fruit and vegetables labelled as such come from a farm that is in the conversion phase. By purchasing the Wegbereiter products, REWE customers can support the fact that more and more farmers are taking the step from conventional to organic farming, thereby increasing the range of organic fruit and vegetables available in REWE stores.
It is precisely in this gap between increased expenses and costs without equally increased prices that the pioneers are working. From the second year of conversion, REWE now gives farmers the opportunity to market their converted produce as trailblazers. The additional proceeds from the Wegbereiter products compared to conventional fruit and vegetables will benefit the farmers so that they can refinance part of their conversion costs. In addition, the Wegbereiter farmers receive professional advice on conversion from the largest international association for organic farming: Naturland.
"If we as a society want to make a sustainable contribution to the ecological transformation, we must support farms willing to convert during this economically difficult phase. Together with Naturland, we have developed the REWE Naturland Wegbereiter programme, a simple, innovative and sensible accelerator that supports the transformation to organic farming, but also offers consumers security and transparent added value," says Stephan Weist, REWE Purchasing Manager for Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers.
The first Wegbereiter products are now coming from the Kügel asparagus farm in Abensberg to Bavarian REWE stores: Wolfgang Kügel and his three daughters Julia, Katrin and Anja run a growing farm with over 70 hectares of asparagus and 12 hectares of berries. They are in the process of converting to organic farming, which means, for example, that they are no longer allowed to use synthetic chemical pesticides or mineral nitrogen fertilisers. Julia Fröhlich-Kügel enthusiastically describes how she perceives the conversion in the field: "We can see how the soil improves, how much life there is in the soil. When you stand in the field, pick up the soil and see a finger-thick earthworm in it, you know that the soil is healthy."
The future organic farms are supported by Naturland, with whom REWE has been working for over 14 years. Naturland is the largest international organic association and is more demanding in many areas than the EU organic regulation. Naturland experts provide advice throughout the entire conversion phase and respond to farmers' individual questions and concerns. Naturland also ensures compliance with the standards from day one.
All information can be found at www.rewe.de/wegbereiter
