Excursion to the organic companies Huober Brezel and Alnatura

You would not expect party snacks like salted pretzels to carry the organic label.

The company Huober Brezel, located amid vineyards and fields in Erdmannshausen, Baden-Württemberg, switched to organic products as early as 1996—long before the organic boom—and is today the only pretzel manufacturer that produces exclusively organic products. “It is not about strategically capitalizing on a market trend or providing additional sales arguments,” explains Managing Director Arlend Huober, “but about taking responsibility.”  As a practical partner in the degree program “Business Administration – Rethinking Economics” at Alanus University, the corporate group consisting of Huober Brezel, Erdmannhauser and BioGourmet offers a diverse practical placement. Raphael Mansour, a first-semester student in the degree program “Rethinking Economics,” will spend his practical phases in idyllic Erdmannshausen starting in January. “I am already very excited to see what awaits me during my 6 practical phases,” says Mansour. He is enthusiastic about the excursion to Huober Brezel. “What impressed me most was that Managing Director Arlend Huober took the whole day to introduce us to the corporate group and give us deep insights into Huober’s company history and philosophy.”

On the second day of the excursion, students from the Department of Economics visit the construction site of the new Alnatura headquarters in Darmstadt. “What is special about the new building is the natural construction materials—especially the exterior façades, which are made of pressed clay panels,” explains Joachim Schledt, Head of Human Resources at Alnatura. Together with Thorsten Merge, Project Manager Construction at Alnatura Arbeitswelt, he presents the symbiotic connection with the surrounding nature, the sustainable use of existing resources, and a simple, nature-oriented aesthetic that is already evident in the shell construction. The new “Citizen Office” will be occupied in the middle of next year, and the students who complete their practical phases at Alnatura are already very excited about it.

The two-day excursion to southern Germany was accompanied by Prof. Susanne Blazejewski, Chair of Sustainable Organization and Workplace Design, and Anna Rühmann, contact person for the partner companies. The two staff members from the Department of Economics agree: another excursion should be offered again next year. “Not only do people interact differently on an excursion—and that benefits dialogue in the courses—I think it is something entirely different to get to know the partner companies directly on site rather than just through the internet or as a case study in the lecture hall,” concludes Professor Blazejewski. “A very special thank you goes to Alnatura and Huober Brezel for their extraordinary hospitality.”