Mit Seeberger Snacks könnt ihr euch durch das ganze Nuss- und Trockenobstsortiment naschen und seid dabei immer gut mit gesunden Fetten und wertvollen Vitaminen versorgt. Davon erzählt auch Ralph Beranek, unser Geschäftsführer, im Rahmen eines Interviews bei FluxFM.
Coffee also plays a major role in the range. How did that come about?
Ralph: It comes from the history of the colonial goods store. There was coffee, nuts, dried fruit and everything from the colonies at the time. But we bought from different countries. Back then, we only had coffee for the catering trade. As with nuts and fruit, we specialized in top quality and that was in demand in the food service industry. Today, we have a huge service operation in coffee. We supply vending machines, e.g. drinks vending machines and healthy snacks for staff catering in small and large companies.
You joined Seeberger shortly after your studies and have been Managing Director since 1996, so you've been with us for more than 30 years. So you're a real old hand, so to speak. What have been the biggest changes in recent years? Have there been developments where you say it was definitely a real game changer?
Ralph: Yes, up until 10 years ago I would have said that nuts had a bad image. Because they are greasy. And that has completely changed. People now know that they are healthy fats and that really was a game changer. Suddenly a nut and a nut mix was attractive to every generation. In the past, it was really the older generation that grew up with them. But now that there is such a positive image, I'm very positive about the future for the entire industry. Nuts and dried fruit are attractive snacks.
And another current issue, which we have always felt at home with, is that Europe is demanding a fair supply chain in every company. And I am right at the forefront of this. It's a shame that we need a law like this at all. It should actually be a matter of course. And it will now make a big, big difference in the industry. Because now everyone has to take care of their supply chain. The supply chain for nuts and fruit is really complicated. But I'm looking forward to it, because doing good shouldn't be exclusive. And taking care of your suppliers and trying to pay them decently so that farmers around the world can make a good living from their daily manual work should be a matter of course and we feel we are in very good hands and I believe we are doing our bit.
You just mentioned exclusivity. Your products are already quite expensive. Nuts, in general without question, are a luxury good. But what justifies the rather high price for your nut mixes?
Ralph: Seeberger uses the best 10% of the harvest. That's point one. What I explained a little earlier is sustainability. We try to do all our business directly. We don't buy anything from the so-called "spot market", where there is a surplus of nuts and we help ourselves to them. No, we want to ensure quality and sustainability. This means that every product that comes to us is sourced directly. And perhaps in general, I know exactly what happens with a mango: you need 1 kg of fresh mango to make 100 g of dried mango. And you have to realize that: what do I pay for 1 kg of fresh mango and what is the dried fruit ultimately worth? It's similar with apricots, there it's perhaps a factor of 6: what do I pay for 1 kg of fresh apricots and what do I pay for 200 g of dried apricots. I always have to do the math and that's the factor from the fresh fruit to the dried fruit.
This week is the big hiking week at FluxFM. You're a passionate sportsman yourself and also love eating nuts. What recommendations do you have? Which variety really kicks you into gear before a big hike? What gives you good energy?
Ralph: Yes, I would say nuts as a staple food, a handful of nuts every day - it doesn't really matter which nuts, they're all really good. My favorite is walnuts, I absolutely love them, but I also like macadamias, which are a bit fattier, but they contain healthy fats. As a basic, a handful of nuts every day is quite good. If I'm doing sport and I need energy straight away, then dried fruit is better because it provides quick energy. Nuts provide basic energy through healthy omega-3 fatty acids and proteins. And dried fruit provides quick energy through carbohydrates. So if you're out hiking, cranberries, blueberries, mangoes, apricots, dates, there are lots of great snacks that provide this quick energy.