Gröner Hof, Loogh

Shaping the future with a wide angle - visit the Gröner Hof

This #GeroRegional post is about a well-known player in the ranks of our local producers. The cheese assortment of the Gröner Hof is probably one of the best-known products from our region and can no longer be imagined without it from the refrigerated shelves of our local shops.

The label “Made in Eifel” is valued by the Gröner family out of conviction and practiced consistently. Thanks to Ursula and Michael Gröner, a farm that has been focusing on direct marketing and closed production cycles since 1988 and has already given a deeper meaning to today’s concept of sustainability.
This belief was based on the desire to “be master of one’s own business” again, independent of subsidies, which allowed only regulations and little room for individual design in the 1980s. This principle of freedom has consistently permeated company decision-making processes for more than 35 years, and not only that. Even then, it was about the sustainable growth of their farm. From the very beginning, Ursula and Michael Gröner focused on the observance of natural and closed cycles in the production chain. This also means observing short transport routes, maintaining the fairest possible treatment of people and animals on the farm and paying attention to the company’s growth with reason and economic limits.

This is evident from cattle and dairy farming. “The farm has its natural limits,” says Gero Gröner. He belongs to the second generation of the family and has been actively involved in the company's continued existence since 2016. “We only keep as many animals as the farm can feed from its own feed production!” In times when unlimited growth and profit optimisation are being promoted, this attitude is proving to be a sustainable counter-trend with economic success.

The Eifel young bull breeding is one of the traditional pillars of the Gröner Hof. The cattle are reared, slaughtered and further processed exclusively on site. Customers of these slow-food products are usually long-standing regular customers who appreciate the quality meat. It is pre-ordered in finished portion sizes and delivered to customers, which makes secure planning and economical working in direct sales possible.

Since 1999, the cow's milk has been further refined in the farm's own cheese dairy. “Another idea that some people used to look at with some scepticism,” says Ursula Gröner. Initially, Eifel mountain cheese was produced with and without herbs up to the spicy volcanic cheese. The idea turned out to be a success and was expanded in 2016 by the family's youngest creator to include a soft cheese production. Eifeler Camembert & Co of the Gröner brand have since become an integral part of the range of local and national retailers.

The farm shop and its own restaurant with a show cheese factory complement the farm's production branches in order to keep the farm's cycles consistently closed. The products are passed on directly to customers, supply chains are extremely short and a significant proportion of the value added is held in the region.
In addition to this, visitors to the farm learn first-hand in the show cheese dairy and on the farm tours where the food comes from, how it is produced and how it is used sustainably.

This principle of economy and life reflects the philosophy of the people who live and work at the Gröner Hof. They see their work as a unit, since everything is related to each other. In the joint discussion it becomes clear that all generations of the Gröner Hof are behind this conviction. In addition to the idea of freedom, the desire for peaceful coexistence is one of the personal guiding principles. This basic idea applies to all decisions and circumstances of the family business. Gero Gröner thinks about it even further and beyond the boundaries of the court. It includes the peaceful treatment of the environment and the regional community. It is about thinking in moderation and investing in the future, always looking beyond one's own plate. Keeping the “wide angle” in the consideration, first looking at things closely, then forming an opinion, and then taking action.

The Gröner Hof is a good example of how a sustainable regional project can be brought to success with a clear ideological stance and a contentious family harmony. Freedom and peace for oneself and one’s fellow human beings and pride in one’s own achievement “Made in Eifel” seem to be a good guarantee for this.

If you want to learn more about the Gröner Hof, you can take a virtual visit or even better stop by in Loogh.

Contact

Gröner Hof
Im Mühlenweg 3 
54578 Loogh
info@eifel-groener.de
Tel.: +49 65 93 18 12