Herbaria: spice array meets zeitgeist

For thousands of years herbs and spices have been used in cooking to refine dishes. In consequence there are a vast number of suppliers of spices. However, the majority offer their products in rather unprepossessing packaging. Herbaria is altogether different: the organic company in the Bavarian Alps is enjoying great success with its attractive combination of outstanding spices and a colour code system for countries and themes. The ace the company has up its sleeve is the top chef and popular personality Konrad Geiger, who devises the organic gourmet spice combinations and the recipes that accompany them. (Picture: Konrad Geiger cooking tasty snacks for guests of Natexpo in Paris. On the left of the picture is Sophie Seitz; on the right Ulrike and Heinz Claus who market Herbaria in France)
With a bicycle that has been converted into a rickshaw, Herbaria is always the centre of attraction for visitors (picture: Rickshaw in Herbaria’s warehouse). On one side of the rickshaw you see a whole array of Herbaria spices displayed behind glass; on the other side are two gas rings for cooking and spicing and preparing little snacks for interested visitors. Built into this versatile eco-mobile are even a washing-up facility and a fridge. Herbaria was represented by this vehicle at this year’s Kulinarische Nacht in Miesbach in the south of Bavaria. In addition, they also appeared on the TV channel Pro 7 where Konrad Geiger also displayed his culinary skills. “We often get enquiries for a party or for appearing at trade fairs,” says Elke Winkler. The Herbaria-mobile is a real eye-catcher. Last year it was used on a grand scale: Sebastian Kissel and Konrad Geiger stopped 54 times on the journey from Munich to Dusseldorf via Berlin and Münster. From July to December 2009 they were on the road on the ‘Tour de Curry’. Mrs Winkler estimates the vehicle was present at 200 promotions in shops and at events, including tasting sessions, together with one other company, that are organized in conjunction with BNN Herstellung und Handel. Another example of creative advertising is the sale of squashes accompanied by a special spice and a pyramid display of squashes in the shop.

Asia, America, Germany and Bavaria are a few of the main sources of the spices that the wholesale trade distributes to 4,000 specialist wholefood stores, farm shops and health food shops in Germany. Herbaria is also expanding its business activity abroad, as we can see from the creation of an English and French homepage and its presence at the Natexpo trade fair in France. (Picture on right: Konrad Geiger)

A rising share of turnover is attributable to exports that go mainly to France, followed by Italy, Belgium and Austria. But there is also demand for the aromatic spice mixtures from the Bavarian Alps in countries like Taiwan.

After achieving double-digit growth in 2009, the company, that is located in the little Alpine town Fischbachau near the Schliersee (picture), is again expecting a double-digit rise in turnover in 2010. The picture looked very different just a few years ago, with a huge range of 800 articles and a lack-lustre image. A study was undertaken to investigate how Herbaria was perceived by its main target group, the wholefood trade. They said the contents were superb, but the presentation and the marketing left a lot to be desired. This was the motivation for rigorous product selection and reduction of the range to a quarter, resulting in just 200 articles.

In the context of restructuring the product range, a new design for Herbaria was developed in 2005 by sos-Design in Munich. Sophie Seitz and her team changed the logo and developed the containers with their colour coded system for all the spices and for the new items in the other product assortment, such as the organic garden teas, the rooibosch range and the new ‘house friends’.

The striped design not only looks modern and trendy but also conveys information about origins. For example, a red band stands for Germany, petrol blue for the orient, light green for the Mediterranean and orange for Asia. Some product groups are also identifiable in the same way: ochre yellow for curry, light blue for salt and light grey for pepper. The colour code system makes it easier both for the staff to organize where dozens of spices belong in the shop and for the customer to locate them. Elke Winkler (picture on right) says the message to shop staff is: “Selling and using spices is really simple, because all the product information is there on the label. The customer finds, for example, the colour code and the precise use of the spice in cooking, plus a suggestion for what kinds of dish can be prepared with that particular spice. What’s more, the attractive and striking names given by various organic gourmets means that customers don’t confuse one spice with another, and that makes them more attractive as presents.” The company’s interesting website also gives more information on the organization of the spices, their origin and how they can be used. For the spice shelves the company supplies attractively designed recipe cards that customers can take home with them.

Other creative ideas from the House of Herbaria are sample sets and speciality sets (picture) that make excellent presents, or cross-marketing with a cooking oil, whereby little 2 g packets of spices are attached free of charge to the main article. A display shelf holding 24 items is available for specialist shops. The company offers regular training sessions for shops and organic chains in Germany and many ‘silent’ tastings – without anyone from the company being present – using slices of bread and oil.

At the firm’s headquarters in Fischbachau, 14 staff are responsible for production, i.e. filling the goods in consumer-size packs, and for the administration. Some products are filled by the company Schoenenberger in the Swabian Alps. Like Herbaria, Schoenenberger belongs to the Salus Group that has its headquarters in Bruckmühl, a small town not far from Fischbachau.

History: The firm Herbaria was founded in 1919 as a business trading in herbs for the production of medicaments. The product range consisted of Herbaria brand products in the medicinal segment, a wide range of herbal teas (including special teas by Eva Aschenbrenner) and a number of Herbasana Natural Drugstore articles.This range embodies a long tradition and a wealth of experience. In 1979, the owner of Salus, Otto Greither (85), bought the small firm Herbaria in Phillippsburg (Baden Württemberg) that employed 4-5 people. At the beginning of the 1980s, Herbaria was already mainly supplying the specialist wholefood trade. Despite his age, Greither, the managing director of Salus, is still involved in the business both at Salus and Herbaria. He follows every new product all the way through, explains Elke Winkler. Under the label Herbaria Natural Drugstore, the company markets various plant juices and food supplements like flea seed (as a laxative) and the preparation Blutquick that contains iron. On account of the steadily growing demand for the well known and proven organic products of Herbaria, the company on the Schliersee in Upper Bavaria needed more and more space. So finally in 2000 the company moved to Fischbachau at the foot of the Wendelstein mountain, where it occupies bigger premises in a former bread factory.

Tip: www.herbaria.com