Opening of the ripening hall

In a warm opening speech, Jörg Geiger welcomed over 250 guests, including important represantatives from politics and agriculture as well as members of the 'Verein zur Erhaltung und Förderung alter Obstsorten e.V.' and 'WiesenObst e.V.' With around 400 producers and 33,000 trees, this association forms the backbone of the manufactory's raw material supply and thus symbolises the close connection between tradition and innovation.

The mayor of Schlat, Karin Glansloser, opened the event with an impressive welcome address. She emphasised the challenges of the construction and praised the success that was achieved despite complex building law hurdles. In his speech, Dr Ralf Over, Head of the Göppingen Agricultural Office, emphasised the essential role of agriculture and grassland for the region and praised Jörg Geiger's tireless commitment to sustainable producition and the preservation of valuable cultural landscapes.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the awarding of the Eduard Lucas Medal to Günter Kolb. Minister Peter Hauk honoured Kolb's exceptional services to the preservation of orchards in Baden-Württemberg and his tireless commitment to professional fruit tree pruning. 'Günter Kolb has made a major contribution to the preservation of orchards and the professional pruning of fruit trees in Baden-Württemberg,' praised Minister Hauk. Kolb's commitment to fruit tree teaching and his work in the fruit and horticultural association have contributed significantly to the training of more than 380 specialist caretakers and thus made an invaluable contribution to the maintenance of the cultural landscape. 

Visibly moved, Günter Kolb thanked the organisers and emphasised the immense importance of orchards as a habitat and cultural heritage in his speech. His words emphasised once again how important further training and cooperation are for the preservation of this unique landscape.

After the festive ceremony, guests were treated to live music and an exquisite buffet curated by Matthias Walter. We presented a selection of our alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, which delighted the visitiors' palates and formed the culinary highlight of the event.

The guests took the opportunity to visit the new production facility and find out about the latest developments in the production and processing of orchard fruit. It became clear that we ware not only staying true to our tradition, but are also looking resolutely to the future.

At the end, Jörg Geiger thanked everyone involved who had contributed to the success of this special event. The opening of the new ripening hall marks another milestone in the history of the manufatory and sends a strong signal for the future of orchards and traditional fruit growing in the region.