How we work at genussland

For us, sustainability is not a trend, but a conviction

When we talk about sustainability, it's not because it's trendy or expected on a corporate website. We talk about it because it's at the core of what we've been doing since 2002. When we founded our delicatessen mail order business, our focus from the very beginning was on good food – and good food only exists if nature, people, and animals are treated with respect.

For us, sustainability doesn't mean putting a single seal on our website and considering the topic done. It means taking responsibility in every area of our company: in the selection of our products, in the operation of our warehouses and offices, in the shipping of your order, and in how we handle food that is nearing its expiration date. Some things we do very well, while in others we are still on our way. This honesty is part of our approach.

In the following sections, we show you what we do in concrete terms – transparently, verifiably, and without greenwashing.

Renewable Energy: Solar Power and Geothermal Energy for Our Operations

An online shop for delicatessen and wine needs space – and energy. Numerous delicacies are stored in our two warehouses and offices in Nordhorn, many of which are temperature-sensitive. Chocolate, wine, olive oil, fruit spreads, and many other products must be stored under optimal conditions throughout the year. This requires cooling in summer and heating in winter – and this is exactly where we come in.

Geothermal energy: Natural temperature control without fossil fuels

Our two warehouses and offices are temperature-controlled using geothermal energy. This geothermal system uses the constant temperature of the earth to heat our premises in winter and cool them in summer. This means we don't need natural gas, heating oil, or a conventional air conditioning system to store our products at optimal temperatures all year round. Geothermal energy works quietly, efficiently, and without burning fossil fuels on-site.

Especially for a delicatessen mail order business, this is an enormous advantage: our chocolates survive the summer just as unharmed as our wines survive the winter – and all without fossil energy. The investment in geothermal energy was a conscious decision for long-term sustainability rather than short-term cost savings.

Photovoltaics: 60 kWp of solar power from our own roof

We have installed photovoltaic systems with a total output of 2 × 30 kWp on the roofs of our two warehouses. This 60 kWp of solar power supplies a large part of our operations with clean, self-generated energy – from warehouse lighting to order picking to the entire IT infrastructure that keeps our online shop running.

Any electricity we don't consume ourselves on sunny days is used to charge our electric company cars. This closes the loop: solar power from the roof flows directly into the mobility of our team. No detours via the public grid, no fossil fuel – pure surplus electricity from our own production.

Electric mobility: Our company cars run on solar power

Our company cars are electric. And they are primarily charged with the surplus electricity from our PV systems. This means that when the sun shines on our roofs and more electricity is generated than we currently need for our operations, this electricity flows directly into the batteries of our vehicles.

For us, this is not a prestige project, but a logical consequence. If you have the opportunity to generate clean energy yourself, you should use it where it makes the biggest difference. As a result, we cover our daily journeys – whether to the post office, to local suppliers, or to appointments – predominantly with electricity that we have generated ourselves on the roof.

Organic certified: Our commitment to organic food

Our shop is organic certified. This means that we are authorized to trade organic products and that we are subject to the strict requirements of the EU Organic Regulation. Regular inspections by independent testing bodies ensure that we consistently comply with the requirements for labeling, storage, and traceability.

We carry a growing range of organic-certified products – from olive oils and fruit spreads to tea and coffee to wines from organic or biodynamic cultivation. It is important to us that organic is an important quality feature, but not the only one. Some of our small manufacturers work according to the highest ecological standards, but do not have an official seal – either because certification is not economically viable for a micro-enterprise, or because the producer works in a region where different quality standards apply.

That's why we always look beyond the label: How is it actually produced? What ingredients are used? How does the manufacturer deal with its resources? These questions are at least as important to us as a seal on the packaging.

Short supply chains: Directly from producer to you

A central component of our sustainability strategy is short, transparent supply chains. We purchase the majority of our products directly from the manufacturer – without intermediaries, without detours, without anonymous supply chains.

What does that mean in concrete terms? If you order an olive oil from Portugal from us, we have sourced this oil directly from the oil mill. We know the producer, we have seen his olive groves, we know how he works. If you buy a fruit spread from South Tyrol, it comes from a family business that we have known personally for years and visit regularly.

This direct purchasing has several advantages for sustainability. Transport routes become shorter and more transparent because the goods do not travel via several wholesalers and intermediate warehouses. Value creation remains with the producer because no intermediary skims off a part of the margin. The small family business receives a fair price for its product and can make a living from it, continuing to produce with the highest quality and respect for nature.

Over more than two decades, we have built and maintained this network. Kerstin was managing director of the association of leading delicatessen merchants in Germany and brings deep industry knowledge. Chambers of commerce and economic development agencies from all over Europe regularly introduce us to producers who want to offer their high-quality products on the German market. This way, we constantly discover new, exciting manufacturers who share our values.

Packaging and shipping: As sustainable as possible, as safe as necessary

Anyone shipping fine foods and wine online faces a particular challenge: the products must arrive safely and undamaged at the customer. Wine bottles, jam jars, chip bags, chocolate, and cookware in one package – this requires thoughtful packaging. At the same time, we want to use as little material as possible and pack as sustainably as possible.

Recycled and reusable materials

We consistently rely on recycled and reusable packaging materials. Our shipping boxes are made from recycled cardboard. We use paper and cardboard instead of plastic as filling material. Our packaging chips – the small cushions that protect your products in the package – are fully compostable. You can safely dispose of them in the organic waste bin or on the compost. Packaging material that we receive from our suppliers – boxes, filling material, cushions – we reuse whenever possible instead of throwing it away. This way, packaging often gets a second or third life with us.

Cooled shipping with paper instead of plastic

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