Post by Südzucker

Making sustainability tangible - from field to fork Together with some of our customers, we set out on an exploration tour – exactly where everything begins: in the field. We invited our customers to our agricultural trial farm in Kirschgartshausen near Mannheim (Germany). Here, our customers were able to experience the origin of our products up close. After a warm welcome by Mario Kraft, an introduction by our host Dr Peter Risser, and insights from our agricultural experts Dr Georg Vierling and Veit Nübel, we headed out into the fields. 🌱🌻There, we explored Südzucker’s sustainable initiatives, took a closer look at our cultivation areas, analyzed soil profiles, discussed the importance of wormholes, detected lime in the soil, and learned more about the fascinating symbiosis between fungi and plants. To build on what we learned during the day, our guests received a soil testing kit to use at home – enabling them to analyze their own soil with a new appreciation for the value of healthy soil. 👨🏻‍🌾A particular highlight was the tangible difference between manual fieldwork and modern technology, broken down into working hours. From hoes to robots fully controlled via GPS or cameras, we gained impressive insights into current challenges and the future of agriculture. One thing became very clear during the day: The true impact lies in the scale of our activities. Working with several thousand farmers across our value chains allows every improvement in soil health, crop rotation, and resilience to drive meaningful change well beyond individual farms. For our customers, this makes sustainability tangible: more robust raw materials, greater supply security, and measurable progress towards their commitments. Our special thanks go to our host, Dr. Risser and his team, who provided valuable insights along the entire value chain. We would also like to thank all contributors from the Soil Health Service under the lead of Dr Gebhard Mueller for their expertise, Geert Van Aelst and above all, we were pleased that the weather held up.