The event offers an ideal opportunity to engage directly with producers, politicians and interested consumers. Hans-Jürgen Moog, REWE Group Board Member for Merchandise/Purchasing: Our REWE and PENNY supermarkets throughout Germany serve as an important link between producers and consumers. We know first-hand our customers’ needs and the challenges facing domestic agriculture. At the REWE Group, we firmly believe that working together is key to tackling the challenges facing the agricultural industry, securing food, and protecting nature. This requires an open and constructive dialogue on equal terms. We therefore always look forward to the interesting discussions at Grüne Woche.
Grüne Woche: local agriculture a focus for the REWE Group
The Grüne Woche trade fair, which ran from 19 to 28 January 2024 in Berlin, is one of the world’s leading events in the food, agriculture and horticulture sectors. Representing the REWE Group on the EventFarm at the Forum Modern Agriculture were retail brands REWE, PENNY and the Competence Centre for Agriculture, which was founded at the beginning of 2023.
Reading time: 5 min.
Glimpse into support and innovation projects
At its 200 m2 stand entitled, REWE Group and Agriculture. Growing Together
, the retailer showcased the funding and innovation projects it is running to support local agriculture in the areas of climate protection, local produce, and animal welfare. Visitors were able to find out about the various initiatives at three themed areas. DIY store chain toom, which is also part of the REWE Group, designed the stand with plants from its own range.
Climate protection support programme presented by the Competence Centre for Agriculture
The first themed area was dedicated to the Competence Centre for Agriculture. The close cooperation between the REWE Group and agricultural experts turns innovative ideas into specific, groundbreaking projects for the future, which strengthen domestic agriculture. At Grüne Woche, the Competence Centre for Agriculture presented the REWE Group’s animal welfare measures as well as the new climate protection support programme of REWE and PENNY Germany. REWE and PENNY are the first German food retailers to co-finance climate protection projects undertaken by their private-label suppliers in order to jointly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the supply chain.
PENNY Zukunftsbauer (future farmers) initiative supports farmers with climate-friendly investments
At its first appearance at Grüne Woche, discounter PENNY focused on four topics. At the second themed area, visitors had an opportunity to learn more about the products of PENNY’s organic private label Naturgut and the new regional private label Marktliebe. The retailer also presented its True Costs campaign and the Zukunftsbauer (future farmers) support programme, which PENNY is running jointly with dairy Berchtesgadener Land. The food retailer is donating a percentage of its profit margin from the sale of all Berchtesgadener Land produce to the programme, and Berchtesgadener Land is matching that donation. The funding helps farmers in the Alpine region optimise the energy efficiency of their farms and make them more eco-friendly.
REWE focus on local produce
REWE is a pioneer in the sale of regional produce within the German retail industry. On the REWE themed area at the trade fair stand, the full-range retailer showcased its commitment to local meat. Using farms Gemüsebau Steiner and BIOhof Kirchweidach as an example, REWE illustrated how fruit and vegetables can be grown locally and sustainably all year round in Germany, which could further support domestic producers while avoiding imports from countries such as Spain or Morocco in the future. REWE also brought long-standing conservation partner NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V.) to Grüne Woche to give agricultural holdings more information on how the NABU Climate Fund can support them with peatland restoration projects or a move to organic farming.
