BIODYNAMIC FARMING
Building an environmentally sustainable future
Organic and biodynamic farming is based on the concept of a sustainable cycle. We have been biodynamic since 1934. The majority of our products feature the Demeter label. This way, we promote healthy and regenerative cultivation methods and make a key contribution to biodiversity. This is how we actively shape our ecological sustainability.
The highest organic quality
We offer a comprehensive range of organic food for babies and infants. The majority of our products come from Demeter agriculture, which is unique in its consistent and holistic approach.
Recipes that are as pure as possible, raw ingredients from organic farms with whom we maintain long-term partnerships, as well as protecting the soil, animals and the environment. This is how we guarantee organic quality at the highest level.
Comparison: Demeter and organic cultivation
What makes Demeter so special?
Demeter is based on a unique understanding of agriculture. Unlike conventional farming, the golden rule is to enliven and enrich the soil. It is about much more than the mere cultivation of agricultural land, but rather a method that promotes life. The focus is on the natural cycle of humans, animals and nature by acting holistically and together.
The Demeter seal is the oldest eco-label and is subject to stringent guidelines. It may only be used by strictly controlled partners.
The Demeter seal meets and goes well beyond all EU organic standards. It guarantees organic quality at the highest level and far exceeds the EU organic quality.
The Demeter seal meets and goes well beyond all EU organic standards:
- Natural farming cycles which do not exploit animals, the soil or the environment
- Quality instead of quantity
- Animal welfare
- Renunciation of animal hormones and growth regulators
- Natural manures with compost instead of artificial fertilisers and renunciation of all chemical herbicides and pesticides
- Especially gentle processing and no use of chemical additives
What is organic?
The basic requirements that must be met for the EU organic seal are precisely specified by law. The criteria include animal-friendly husbandry, a ban on genetic engineering and the renunciation of chemical pesticides and almost 300 different additives. Incidentally, like the term ‘organic’, the definition of ‘eco’ is also regulated by EU law. They can be used synonymously.
What makes organic different?
Conventional foods are different to organic foods and those with organic association seals both in terms of cultivation and animal husbandry. Food labelled as organic refers to the EU organic regulation and carries the EU organic seal as a minimum. In organic farming, values such as regionality, environmental protection and resource conservation, fairness, responsibility, care and animal welfare play key roles from the very outset.
The EU organic seal requirements:
- Species-appropriate husbandry
- Organic feed
- No use of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers
- Ban on genetic engineering
- Prohibition of ionising radiation
- Prohibition of the preventive use of antibiotics
Summary:
The Demeter seal guarantees organic quality at the highest level and far exceeds the EU organic quality.
Certificates
Our certificates confirm the highest quality from an independent source
Because we only want the best for your baby, our products are manufactured with the utmost care and to the highest quality standards. That's why we are proud that our baby food has been awarded various certificates, including Demeter, Bio, Bioland and Halal. We firmly believe that these certifications not only emphasise the quality of our products, but also strengthen our customers' trust in our baby food.Our raw ingredients
It is in our nature to attach special importance to the origin of our raw ingredients. We procure them exclusively from passionate organic farmers who embrace organic or biodynamic farming methods out of conviction. Together with our partners, we therefore make a decisive and active contribution to the further development of sustainable agriculture. We know from experience that the best possible quality of raw ingredients can only be achieved through the unification of consistent organic cultivation, careful processing and strict controls at every stage of production.
Demeter and organic milk
Gently processed Demeter milk offers the very best conditions for exceptional milk quality. Cows on Demeter farms are fed in a species-appropriate manner and receive only green fodder, hay and some grain. The animals are given 100% organic feed, 70% of which is Demeter quality. Species-appropriate husbandry is particularly important, so the cows are kept in small herds with their horns intact as a matter of course.
Demeter and organic fruit and vegetables
Our Demeter and organic fruit comes from biodynamic and organic farmland that is particularly fertile and rich in nutrients. No synthetic chemical pesticides or insecticides are used here. All of the raw ingredients used for our organic baby jars and pouches are of the highest quality and are ideal for a balanced and varied diet.
Demeter and organic grain
For our grain porridges and grain porridges with milk, we use high-quality Demeter grain from biodynamic farming or grain from organic farming. Biodynamic farming promotes particularly fertile and healthy soils in the long term. During our gentle processing methods, we take meticulous care to use the whole grain.
Animal welfare
For Demeter, species-appropriate husbandry means treating animals with respect – through smaller herds, sufficient space in stables and pens, 100% organic feed and the complete renunciation of animal hormones and growth regulators. Animal welfare is the top priority. This is why, for instance, Demeter cows are not dehorned and are left to develop as nature intended.
Demeter & biodiversity
Biodiversity is the founding pillar of our planet. After all, the genetic diversity of plant and insect species creates natural habitats that ultimately provide us with food and drinking water and protect the climate. At Holle, we are deeply aware of how dependent we are on intact nature and how important a healthy plant and insect world is. Without pollination, there can be no fruit or vegetables and our food security is at risk. But it is not just because we benefit from biodiversity that we have a duty to protect it. Each species is unique and valuable in itself. If one becomes extinct, it is lost forever. We also want to – and must – leave a diverse environment for generations to come.
Ensuring ecological diversity
For functioning, holistic organic agriculture, we need seed varieties that are characterised by diversity, reproducibility and regional adaptation. In order to ensure this, we have been supporting the seed and livestock breeding fund run by the Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft agricultural foundation for years.
Together for more biodiversity
Storage and transport have a huge impact on the emissions generated throughout the value chain of our products. It is therefore of paramount importance to us to pursue sustainable solutions in this area and save unnecessary emissions.
improve the ecological significance of the company premises, which offer some 10,000 square metres of ecological diversity and thus make a crucial contribution to environmental protection. The aim is to make existing biotope areas even more sustainable. This multi-faceted commitment represents a key building block in our sustainable supply chain – from production to the store shelf and our customers.
Benefits of ecological and biodynamic cultivation
The advantages of organic and biodynamic farming are obvious: areas where no herbicides and synthetic chemical pesticides are used are home to an average of one third more species than conventional farmland.