Kräuterhexen (herb witches) - Creation of value by remedies and wellness-products made of regional raw materials

Status

completed

Summary

At present the value added is minimal for the range of remedies, wellness products, cosmetics, personal hygiene products and chemical products for suppliers of products from regional raw materials in Upper Styria: Several products were indeed produced in artesanal microenterprises but are almost offered to local customers. Only a few regional products are sold in health food stores and pharmacies/chemists to a bigger clientele.

The reasons for that are:

• the missing identity of the products,
• the individuality and variability of appearance of the different products,
• the missing presence,
• the only short reaching channels of distribution,
• the missing quality assurance and there the want of confidence of a wider potential clientele in the products,
• the lack in competitiveness to wholesalers as a result of the insufficient guarantees of quality and the heterogeneity of the products by different attributes of raw materials and manufacturing methods.

These problems could be solved for a network of companies during this project. By

• the definition of a branded identity for the network in the form of the "Murtaler Kräuterkessel",
• the branding for wellness products from vegetable raw materials of the region,
• the knowledge management in the network as well as
• the creation of an overall quality management system

it could be initiated, that the network today has a clear organisational structure, where products with distinctive identity according to clear guidelines are made. The transfer of knowledge about regional vegetable products, their production and use to serious interested people in the form of seminars and workshops, which are arranged after modern insights and adults pedagogy, has been developed to a product of its own.

With this innovative approach the basis for a high adding value in the range of wellness products, cosmetics, personal hygiene products and chemist products in the considered region was created,

• by sustaining the already existing bulk network of suppliers by knowledge management,
• by building a clear product line from the multitude of available and potential products, which are conceived after sustainable criteria and
• by displacing the ultimate adding value from the production and the sale of substantial products to the transfer of knowledge and insights.

Project management

DI Josef Bärnthaler
Energieagentur Judenburg-Knittelfeld-Murau

Project or cooperation partner

• Dr. Johannes Fressner
  STENUM GmbH
• DI Robert Wimmer
  GRAT (TEAM Pflanzenqualität)
• Mag. Claudia Brandstätter
  BMM (TEAM Innovationsprofi)

DI Josef Bärnthaler
Energieagentur Judenburg-Knittelfeld-Murau
Kaserngasse 22
8750 Judenburg
Tel./DW: +43(0)3572 446 70-23
E-Mail: baernthaler.eaj@ainet.at