There are quite a few things that connect us with Berlin. Our spirits are listed in a number of bars and restaurants there. The capital is the headquarters of the Freimeister Kollektiv. For them we produce Kaffeegeist and Kaffeelikör. Then there's the magnificent festival Eat! Berlin and the Craft Spirits Festival. Josef recently took to the stage there as an expert. He spoke about our philosophy and our approach.
"Handcrafted spirits. Rooted in the region. Sustainably produced. From natural ingredients. Craft spirits are spirits made by hand – 'craft' is short for 'handcrafted' – the very opposite of industrial assembly-line production. Behind the term lies a whole movement: young distillers are rediscovering age-old artisan knowledge and turning their backs on mass-market products. Small businesses are daring to try new distillates and standing up to the spirits multinationals. The result is craft spirits: handmade, small-batch, regionally rooted, produced with respect for the environment, and made exclusively from natural ingredients. Spirits with spirit." That was how the organisers described it in their press release. You couldn't sum up our approach and our philosophy more accurately than that. The organisers felt the same way and invited Josef as an expert to speak about Bio, sustainability, artisan distilling, the circular economy, and ultimately about our own Malzwelt and the ideas behind it.
An expert in Craft Spirits
"The dilemma and the paradox: Is organic always craft? Is craft always organic?" – that was the title of his talk. The discussion that followed was remarkably lively. Josef made it clear that the romantic image of the organic farmer, with an ox-drawn cart ploughing the fields and everything done by hand, is an illusion. Instead, he spoke about our innovations, such as the modified ridging plough we sourced from Spain. Of course, a great deal of hands-on work goes into an operation like ours. But it is equally necessary to embrace modern technology in order to stay competitive. The sustainable circular economy approach, and the final step of acquiring the Malzwelt as the last logical piece of that puzzle, were in any case rewarded with applause.
What we found particularly exciting was that Josef was invited to the Craft Spirits Festival not (only) because of our products, but because of his extensive knowledge. He certainly enjoyed that role. It's quite possible that Josef will be seen more often in future as an expert and speaker.
