Adamah Biohof is an established and successful Austrian company growing fruits and vegetables and also buying products from organic farmers for local delivery through “BioKistl”, organic food basket.
Name of organisation | Adamah BioHof |
|---|---|
Year established | 1997 |
Website | https://www.adamah.at/ |
Location | Lower Austria |
Type of organisation | Collaborative short food supply chain |
Key words | Organic agriculture; short food supply chains; online food retailer |
Thematic focus | Costs and Benefits |
Who is Adamah BioHof?
Adamah is a small company that grows its own fruits and vegetables and buys products from organic farmers for delivery through the so-called “BioKistl”, organic food basket. These can be chosen by consumersthrough an online retail hub, on a weekly basis. Adamah´s work is oriented towards the common good and the economy, and assumes responsibility for a future that conserves resources for future generations.
It was founded in 1997 by Gerhard and Sigrid Zoubek, who converted their conventional farm into an ecological farm. In 2001, Adamah was able to deliver the first 60 “BioKistl”, organic baskets with freshly harvested organic vegetables and fruit. Due to its success, Adamah today has grown and has around 80 employees and cooperates with up to 200 supplier farmers and food producers.
Adamah´s identity is based on three main pillars:
Providing 100% organic food to customers – Adamah sell organic vegetables and fruit and other products – even toothpaste. Sometimes fruits/vegetables are crooked because organic food is allowed to be what it is, without following beauty parameters.
Having low waste production – Organic vegetables and fruits are delivered unpackaged where possible. Where packaging is necessary, Adamah prefers reusable systems, recyclable or biodegradable materials.
Being environmentally friendly – Adamah´s primary focus is on regional organic vegetables and fruit. They deliver their products in a CO2-neutral way and do not allow goods transported by air freight in the “BioKistl”. Their fixed delivery route, through certain areas of Vienna and Lower Vienna, means that they only drive through once a week to customers’ homes.
These three aspects are important in order to achieve a sustainable production that conserves resources for future generations, by preserving a healthy soil and biodiversity, but also going beyond this to ensure animal well-being and safeguarding the health of consumers and harvesters.
Who do Adamah BioHof work with and how do they do it?
Adamah cooperates with around 200 farmers and food producers that sell organic food, which includes smaller producers who do not have structure for direct selling. They also cooperate with schools, to which they sell regional fruit, and with social organisations that support people experiencing poverty.
Adamah produces around 30% of the products it sells, which entails about 65 different products. In total they offer around 2,500 products to customers. Collaborating with many farmers and producers enables Adamah to offer all the products needed for the week via the BioKistel. This way their customers can rely solely on buying organic products via this sales route, limiting the need to go to the supermarket to complete their shopping.
What are Adamah’s main challenges?
Adamah’s main challenge is that the type of delivery service it provides, to many customers and with many products, demands a high level of logistics planning. Adamah has developed and improved its logistics over the past years of operation, in the following ways. Firstly, they have established specific time windows for the farmers and food producers they work with. Secondly, they have established a manageable size for the baskets they deliver, which ensures that they can work easier and more efficiently. If the baskets were huge, it would be more labour intensive to sort out the products. Thirdly, they have fixed delivery routes in order to drive only once a week through certain areas of Vienna and Lower Austria.
A second challenge is that competition in this sector is high, meaning Adamah always has to be at the cutting edge of technology and up to date.
What are the priorities for Adamah BioHof?
Together with the quality and organic origin of our products, it is very important that the service to the customer is good. Similarly, a close relation with partners is a priority and the reason why members of Adamah always visit their suppliers and invite them to visit Adamah premises too.
Adamah wants to have annual meetings, to strengthen their security of supply, but also so that suppliers have security for their sales. Strengthening partnerships with organic producers is a priority that benefits all actors, with each working to their own skill area/focus. For instance, Adamah could be a good focal point for small-scale farmers who have very high-quality products but are not specialized in the selling or marketing, Adamah can offer to directly sell the products of these producers as they already have a client base, and the demand is always growing in the field of ecological food.