Vegetable Varieties
Vegetable Varieties
Where does organic start for you?
Where does organic start for you?
Faces of organic breeding
Faces of organic breeding
previous arrow
next arrow

Organic right from the start – From breeding to the end product.

What is organic breeding?

Using methods and techniques that are compatible with the principles of organic farming, organic breeding develops varieties that meet the needs of organic farming.

Breeding takes place with respect for the integrity of the plant – there is no intervention below the cell level (genetic engineering). All the work steps, from the first to the last, take place on organic farms.

The label

bioverita is committed to increasing the awareness of organic farming and organically bred varieties.

  • in organic farming, organic vegetable and fruit production
  • amongst processors of organic products
  • amongst distributors of organic products
  • amongst consumers of organic products

What is bioverita?

  • a platform with the most important organic breeders in Europe
  • a platform for varieties from organic cereal, vegetable and fruit breeding
  • a platform for organic product processors and traders interested in organic breeding
  • 10 years of bioverita – a retrospective10 years of bioverita – a retrospective
    Interview with Markus Johann, Managing Director and delegate of the bioverita board, on the occasion of bioverita`s 10th anniversary.
  • In Mutual Relationship with the PlantIn Mutual Relationship with the Plant
    Portrait of Christoph Matthes who is breeder of vegetables at the Dottenfelderhof Research and Breeding Department.
  • Cooperation with Plant NurseryCooperation with Plant Nursery
    The organic nursery Watzkendorf for years has placed particular emphasis on pure line varieties. They have also included varieties from organic breeding for many years. In December 2020, the nursery concluded a user agreement with bioverita. This opened the way for adding certified varieties to their product list using the bioverita label to draw the ...
  • Cultivation of Open Pollinated VarietiesCultivation of Open Pollinated Varieties
    The Pulvermühle farm in Volgelsheim in Alsace has been managed by the Schmidt family for six generations. For more than 50 years they have cultivated organic vegetables and cereals on approximately 115 hectares of land, among other things selling into the German and Swiss markets. Wholesale partner Rinklin Naturkost from Kaiserstuhl is also one of ...

bioverita sees itself as a counterbalance to genetic engineering and the consolidation in the seed industry with fewer and fewer suppliers. The range of organic varieties for organic farming must therefore be increased.

bioverita is always about organic breeding – whether that is vegetables, cereals or coming soon, apples!

In 2021 leading representatives of the organic industry congratulated bioverita on the 10th anniversary

Alexander Gerber Board member Demeter e.V.

“bioverita connects the huge passion of organic breeders with the entire food value chain. Thanks to bioverita, everyone, from wholesalers to retailers to organic customers, can help ensure that more and more pure lines varieties that are suitable for organic cultivation become available. With this work bioverita is doing an invaluable service and Demeter sincerely wishes you all the best in the coming decades.”

Bodan Naturkost Sascha Damaschun

Sascha Damaschun Managing Director of BODAN Großhandel für Naturkost GmbH

“Organic breeding is indispensable for the future and sovereignty of organic farming. bioverita’s quality label makes organically grown varieties recognizable for everyone. In this way, consumers can consciously choose these varieties in organic food stores and help strengthen organic breeding. That fits 100% with our endeavors to enable formative consumer decisions through maximum transparency and thus to share responsibility as partners.”

Saat:gut e.V. Barbara Maria Rudolf

Barbara Maria Rudolf Saat:gut e.V., Christiansens Biolandhof

“We at Saat:gut e.V. and Christiansen’s Biolandhof work together with bioverita because the label enables us to communicate to our customers that we cultivate our produce organically. This is the only in which informed customers can opt for on the special quality of organically grown varieties when purchasing and thus support our commitment. Organic right from the start is a matter of course for many. There is still a way to go to make this a reality. We would like to thank bioverita for their commitment and wish them every success for the future.”

Urs Braendli Praesident BioSuisse

Urs Brändli President Bio Suisse

“What bioverita has created in just 10 years deserves the greatest respect! Climate change and the urgent need to protect our resources, such as soil and water, will challenge all of agriculture in the future. Today organic farms in particular benefit from the efforts of bioverita breeding farms. In the future, the demand for location-adapted varieties that deliver good yields even with limited nutrient supply is likely to increase sharply. So keep it up – and many thanks!”

Norbert Schick Grell Naturkost

Norbert Schick Purchasing Manager Fruit & Vegetables, Grell Naturkost

“We fully stand behind bioverita’s mission. The promotion of pure line varieties from organic breeding as well as the strengthening of the transparency of individual varieties in the value chain – from breeding to cultivation to trade. This is possible today through labeling vegetables at the POS in specialist shops. Nevertheless, we can still unlock a lot of potential together in the coming years and look forward to accompanying bioverita on this path!”

Stella Bünger Saatgutfonds

Stella Bünger Coordinator of the seed fund of the Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft

“Thank you bioverita for bringing transparency to the vegetable shelves and product packaging with your work. It’s probably only when they notice the bioverita label that most people realize the key information “Organic right from the start” was and is still missing from almost all products. I wish bioverita many hundreds more varieties for the next decade that will be successfully marketed with the label and thus ensure more transparency!”

Oliver Willing Geschäftsführer Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft

Oliver Willing Managing Director of the Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft

“bioverita has been getting to the point for 10 years: This product is organic right from the start! I was thrilled when I first found bioverita broccoli and white cabbage in our organic shop at the end of 2020. Another 10 years and almost all vegetables offered in organic shops will carry the bioverita mark. And customers appreciate the advantages of organic and GMO-free breeding. Because quality and taste are the best arguments!”

Harald Rinklin, Geschäftsführung Rinklin Naturkost

Harald Rinklin Managing Director of Rinklin Naturkost

“Tailored to the requirements of organic agriculture and using pure lines which are independent of the large seed companies – this is how I imagine the ideal seeds for our organic food. bioverita represents exactly that and that’s why we like to be an active part of it! Many of the cultures our company is successfully trading are bioverita varieties already – and there are more every year! Let’s keep working together to make organic breeding the standard!”

Felix Prinz von Loewenstein

Dr. Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein CEO of BÖLW

“I congratulate bioverita on the success of the first 10 years in which it has firmly established itself as part of organic farming. Organic farming needs partner organizations and companies that have a clear organic mission profile regarding seed production. And it is important for us as a movement that it is perceived in this way that organic breeding is innovative and successful. For all of us, long may this successful journey continue!”

Andreas Lieberherr, biopartner

Andi Lieberherr Head of Range & Procurement, biopartner

“We warmly congratulate bioverita on its 10th anniversary, are proud of our partnership and thank you for the excellent cooperation. Organic breeding is becoming increasingly important worldwide – just like the bioverita label in our range for Swiss organic retailers.”

Knut Schmidtke, Direktor für Forschung, Extension und Innovation, FIBL

Prof. Dr. agr. Knut Schmidtke Director for Research, Extension and Innovation, FIBL

“The origin of plant life is always hidden in the seed. It is from seeds that magnificent plants grow that bloom, produce seeds and fruits. By breeding and supplying seeds, bioverita anchors the origin of vegetable production in organic farming in a very special way – in a successful, innovative and highly valued way – and long may it continue to do so. Congratulations and thanks to bioverita and all the best for the future.”

Steffen_Reese_Naturland

Steffen Reese Managing Director Naturland – Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V.

“Organically bred varieties are of great importance for comprehensive, sustainable organic farming that is independent of international agricultural corporations. In the past ten years, bioverita has made an important contribution to successfully bringing the valuable work of organic breeders onto the market so that everyone – from organic farmers to organic customers – can benefit from it. Naturland would like to offer its heartfelt congratulations and wishes you every success for the next few decades.”

Matthias Staehelin_Swissmill_

Matthias Staehelin Head of Procurement/Board, SWISSMILL/Coop

“With the introduction of bioverita, the organic breeders have recognized that they need more visibility for the fundamental work they do and, above all, for the products resulting from it. This was achieved, among other things, with the successful appearances at the Biofach. I look forward to bioverita continuing its eagle-eyed mission in spotting new natural terrain units and finding appropriate and creative solutions for them – especially for the organic value chain.

Doris Thewes und Mauro Finotti von Biotropic

Mauro Finotti / Doris Thewes Cultivation Advisor / Branch Manager Italy, BioTropic

“Organic breeding is a topic that should be close to our hearts. In the past decades, the development of varieties has mainly been based on standardization and market norms. The suitability for organic cultivation was completely disregarded. We at BioTropic are happy that bioverita has established an international network that allows organic breeding, agriculture and marketing to act together. Our heartfelt Congratulations!”

Jan Plagge Präsident Bioland-Verband

Jan Plagge President of Bioland e.V.

“We would like to congratulate bioverita on their 10th anniversary. Their steadfast determination and relentless efforts to make an important contribution to our environment, society and economy deserves our highest appreciation. We wish bioverita continued success and steady growth for the future.”

Meinrad Schmitt Geschäftsführer Terra Naturkost

Meinrad Schmitt Managing Director of Terra Naturkost Handels KG

“Dedicated organic breeders have been working towards a greater variety of organic varieties for many years. Naturally on their organic farms and without intervention below the cellular level (genetic engineering). The varieties are convincing, and we at Terra Naturkost want to offer our customers more and more “Organic right from the start”. We look forward to more years of cooperation.”

Baumann_Voelke Getreidezüchtung Peter Kunz

Monika Baumann / Herbert Völkle Managing Director, Getreidezüchtung Peter Kunz (GZPK)

“GZPK would like to congratulate bioverita on their 10th anniversary.. For us as an organic breeding organization, organic has been a daily reality from the very beginning. We’re the happiest when out in the fields with our plants. And that’s why we appreciate the work of bioverita all the more – we do good and bioverita spreads the word. Thank you very much and to further awareness – for organic right from the start.”

Petra Boie, Bingenheimer Saatgut AG

Petra Boie Chief Sales Officer, Bingenheimer Saatgut AG

“The metaphor “Carpe diem” was coined by the poet Horace (†8 BCE) and literally translates as “pluck the day”. He used it to describe the sensual experience of collecting ripe fruit. This is exactly how we understand our dealings with organically bred varieties and seeds. We focus on the quality of the relationship with plants, soil and the surrounding area, with breeders and users, as well as the quality of nutrition. “Organic right from the start” still has a long way to go. bioverita’s activities are an important building block on this path.”

Steiner Mühle_Roland Dürring

Roland Dürring Managing Director of Steiner Mühle

“As one of the first members of bioverita, we at Steiner Mühle are proud to be part of this success and 10-year history. This is only possible through the valuable and cooperative partnership with the bioverita people, who have had the courage to change something – also for the next generations. To the next 10 years. Many thanks and our heartfelt congratulations!”