Project info: Goji berries

The Goji berry has turned out as a trend-setter among food products due to the numerous recommendations and health benefits.

We know from other projects that there are considerable problems concerning quality and quantity.

Our solution
We managed to accomplish a permanent and reliable basis by our commitment in cooperation with a partner on location. Our Goji products in organic quality are certified by Ecocert.

We expect the harvest 2009 in our storehouses in October – of excellent quality in sufficient quantity!

Cultivation: Social commitment and safe soil
Our vast and extensive plantations providing unpolluted soil are situated north of Peking bordering on Mongolia, without any industry in a range of 300 km. The local farmers are gaining an additional income by the goji harvest and by grazing sheep in the otherwise meagre steppe due to low rainfall. The goji berries grow without agricultural cultivation except the trimming of the shrubs. The harvesting is very laborious and is effected by hand whereby less than 10 kg of berries are gained per day and labourer. The berries are collected in baskets every day and taken to the factory especially constructed for this purpose.

Manufacturing: Safety and Quality
The new factory completed only this year is handling exclusively goji berries. The berries are washed and cleaned, dried and packed there. Compliance with safety standards and hygiene procedures are guaranteed by a quality team. We have assured ourselves of the quality of the manufacturing plant during a visit a short time ago. The berries are dried in continuos reheating furnaces at temperatures of 60-70°C. We strive for decreasing the temperature as far as possible by intensive observance, in order to provide  the best possible quality while assuring the microbiological standards.

Control: Independent evaluation
Although we are sure of our quality and have no reference of any risks we are testing each batch of goji berries for pesticides and microbiological indicators. Soil and plants were tested in the beginning to rule out any possible risks. In addition we control the essential quality parameters like vitamins to prove and document our high quality standard.



Literature
More than 2700 scientific studies! Listed by: www.scholar.google.de