Mediterranean Fine Food Specialist Organix4U

Full of pride, Peter Schöning shows us round the recently renovated former dairy, with its smart façade, in the village Denklingen in Upper Bavaria. Located in the countryside between Landsberg and Kaufbeuren is the warehouse of the importer Organix4U. It occupies a strategic position between the main markets in Germany and France on the one hand and the important producer countries Italy and Greece on the other. In 2008 turnover grew by 10 %.
(Picture: The attractively renovated Organix4U building)
“We have been supplying antipasti from various projects in the Mediterranean region since 2003, and we set great store by the quality and origin of the products,” says company owner Peter Schöning. “We regard transparency all the way back to the producer as very important, and the products are traded under the manufacturers’ brand names. Once a year we visit the producer companies, and we meet again during BioFach, where a shared stand is organised under the auspices of Naturland. (Picture on left: A variety of feta cheeses are the main products sold by the Denklingen company)

Since the business was developing well, the 46-year-old Peter Schöning took the decision two years ago to acquire the former dairy (dating back to 1907), that has plenty of chilled rooms (250 m²) and ample storage space (800 m²). In March 2007 the moment had arrived; the dairy was bought for a favourable price and then renovated over the next year and a half until it was finished in the autumn of 2008. Where as little as two years ago up to 25 tankers of milk were delivered and processed every day, now original Greek feta, original Italian air-dried salami specialities, Parma ham, pesto and Irish salmon are stored. Taking sheep milk cheese as an example, it is very impressive to find a range comprising 13 different varieties. Organix4U’s product range consists of almost 100 items. (Picture on right: salami picante from Italy)

Peter Schöning used to work in data processing until eight years ago he decided on a change of direction. Now he collaborates with two family farms in Greece, three in Italy and one in Ireland. In most cases, he is the exclusive importer.

Using the transport company Nagel, he supplies about 20 wholefood wholesalers in Germany once a week. He also sends regular supplies to France, which is Schöning’s biggest market, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and the Netherlands. The turnover of feta was boosted by the judgement of the European Court, that stated that feta can only be produced in Greece. At a stroke, Organix4U’s sales of original sheep milk feta doubled (picture).

When the dairy was renovated, an attractive wholefood shop was created too (picture) that stocks not only all the products in Organix4U’s own range but also many other fine food specialities. The shop is open two days a week and is run by Elke Schöning. With a sales area of around 60 m², it is fitted out in a modern style and has a 3-metre-long chilled counter for cheese and sausage. It also has several chilled glass-door cabinets for fresh dairy, sausage and noodle specialities. The shop stocks about 800 articles ranging from fine jams, fish and pasta to Sicilian blood-orange juice – plus a small but excellent wine selection.

Among the suppliers of Organix4U’s wholesale product range is the dairy Kourellas (Bio-Pan-“Feta”, see picture), that is located in Greek West Macedonia. It is the first organic dairy in Greece and has been producing organic feta since 1992 from 70 % sheep milk and 30 % goat milk. This corresponds to the composition of the herds in the region. The dairy is in the village Grevena on the road from Trikala to Thessaloniki. In September 2008 in Dublin, it won the “World Cheese Award” in gold for its feta and in silver for its manouri cheese. The dairy supplies some twenty sorts of sheep milk cheese, fresh goat cheese, sliced cheese and hard cheese in small packs and larger units for sale as counter packs.

Prima Vera, that also has around 20 lines, supplies original air-cured salami specialities from Italy: different salami varieties ranging from self-service packs to whole 2 kg salamis for the sausage counter, whole or half leg of original Parma ham (picture), mortadella and air-cured ham on the knuckle with a spicy coating.

Olio Beato Antipasti (picture) sells a whole range of traditionally produced olives from Italy and Greece: green olives, some with paprika, garlic or almond filling, hot, spicy pesto-olives, mini-artichokes in jars, sun-dried tomatoes, black kalamata olives and grilled oyster mushrooms, zucchini, aubergines, paprika and artichoke hearts. Naturally, there is award-winning extra virgin olive oil from Puglia too. The product range also includes seven different fine jams – fig, apricot, cherry, peach, plum, orange and grape.

Dunn’s of Dublin, Ireland’s oldest salmon smoker, processes salmon raised in big cages in the sea. They supply original Irish smoked salmon, graved salmon and smoked mackerel. The fish are smoked by the traditional method using oak.

An aromatic and tasty blood-orange juice and a light orange juice, both from sun-drenched Sicily, are marketed in 75 ml cartons under the label Isola Bio (picture).

The fine food range of Organix4U is rounded off by fish products from Thinkgreen - sardines, anchovies and tuna fish in organic extra virgin olive oil. According to the supplier, the sardines and anchovies are caught on the surface of the Aegean round Mount Athos. The use of fine-mesh nets means they don’t catch larger fish and dolphins because bigger fish see the nets as a “wall” and they dive under them. Original Greek “chalkidiki” olives (big and succulent) and kalamon olives are also supplied under the same label. A special product in the Organix4U range is mastix, that comes from the Pistacia Lenticus tree. Mastix, that is extracted only on the island of Chios, has been regarded from time immemorial as an anti-inflammatory medicament for use round the mouth, and it is also used for body and skincare.

Tip:
www.organix4U.com