New: environmentally friendly herb concept

Storytelling, being environmentally friendly and growing your own product. These are all hot topics and German plant wholesaler Gebrüder Cox highlights them in a single concept called "Schnauze voll!". This plastic-free herb concept was introduced at the Hortivation in June 2016 and won several innovation awards afterwards. Only three weeks ago, they put it on the German market commercially and Cox's Marketing and Sales Manager Tobias Beermann is pleased with the demand.

Jan Nikolas Peeters and Tobias Beermann at the IPM Essen 2016.

"Schnauze voll!"

The literal translation of "Schnauze voll!" is mouth full. It does not only refer to the image on the packaging, that has its mouth full of herbs, but it is also a German expression that means being tired of something. And in this case, Gebrüder Cox is tired of the depletion of natural sources. "About six years ago, when we built our new building in Herongen, we started up the project 'Cox goes green'. We try to create a better CO2 balance by controlling the climate in the building by a new environmentally friendly heating system, a special light control to produce less CO2-output and so on."

Their products also need to be made and put on the market in an environmentally friendly manner. "And this concept contributes to achieving this goal. The herbs in this concept are all cultivated in degradable, cellulose-based pots and are wrapped in a foil that is made out of water resistant paper. This means that no plastic is used at all."

The innovation award at the Hortivation.

They introduced the concept at the Hortivation last June where it won the innovation award by the Association of German Flower Wholesalers and Retailers e.V. (BGI). A couple of months later, in November, the concept won the Taspo Award in the category Best Marketing Activity.

Pleased with demand
After its introduction, Cox did some test sales in several garden centers in the region Niederrhein during Christmas. They were pleased with the results and decided to put the concept on the market after promoting it widely at their booth at the IPM Essen that was held the last week of January. Now, the concept is on the market for just three weeks and Beermann is already pleased with the demand for the product. "Our current clients are interested in offering this concept in their stores, but the concept brought us new clients too. We received orders from German and European garden centers, DIY stores and supermarkets who saw this product at the IPM Essen and are, at the moment, only requesting for this product."

Future
Currently, eight herbs and combinations of herbs are used in this concept. In the future, Beermann is eager to expand the assortment with herbs and add or create another concept for their ornamental plants.

For more information

Gebrüder Cox
Tobias Beermann
Email: tobias.beermann@cox-pflanzen.de
www.cox-pflanzen.de