Fruit Farm Schmitz-Hübsch
Obstbau Schmitz-Hübsch is Germany’s oldest fruit-growing business with plantation cultivation and is currently run by Roland Schmitz-Hübsch, the fourth generation of the family.
The farm has been growing apples, pears, and sweet cherries in the foothills between Cologne and Bonn for more than 125 years. In 1989, the farm switched to integrated production so that its fruit could be grown in a way that conserves resources and promotes beneficial organisms. To increase biodiversity in its orchards, the farm has been developing new concepts in cooperation with the Rhineland Cultural Landscape Foundation since 2014 and has been a pilot farm in North Rhine-Westphalia for ecological diversity in orchards since 2017, in collaboration with Campus Klein Altendorf and the University of Hohenheim.
“Our apples, pears, and sweet cherries grow on the best soil, protected by the foothills since 1896. We have been committed to resource-efficient and environmentally friendly cultivation for years and now want to take a holistic view of sustainability in our fruit business together with FAIR’N GREEN, evaluate and develop it further so that future generations can also grow fruit here.”
Roland Schmitz-Hübsch
“Our apples, pears, and sweet cherries grow on the best soil, protected by the foothills since 1896. We have been committed to resource-efficient and environmentally friendly cultivation for years and now want to take a holistic view of sustainability in our fruit business together with FAIR’N GREEN, evaluate and develop it further so that future generations can also grow fruit here.”
Roland Schmitz-Hübsch
Philosophy
For farm manager Roland Schmitz-Hübsch, the next logical step was to participate in the “FAIR’N GREEN” sustainability project as a pilot farm for fruit growing in Germany since 2020. After the project, which was carried out in collaboration with the University of Bonn and completed in 2022, the farm is now properly certified.
The Schmitz-Hübsch fruit farm already has a very good operational ecological balance thanks to the generation of its own energy via photovoltaic systems, the use of electric vehicles, and heat recovery from cold stores. In the area of sustainable water management, the farm works with a rainwater storage basin, fully automatic irrigation control using soil sensors, and economical drip irrigation. Also worth mentioning are the 11,000 m² biodiversity area with robust orchard trees and regional sowing, as well as the 3,000 m² flower strips along the orchards. In addition, the farm has a high level of social commitment, which is reflected in the opening of the Fruit Growing Museum in the former fruit canning hall and in regular farm tours for school classes.
Philosophy
For farm manager Roland Schmitz-Hübsch, the next logical step was to participate in the “FAIR’N GREEN” sustainability project as a pilot farm for fruit growing in Germany since 2020. After the project, which was carried out in collaboration with the University of Bonn and completed in 2022, the farm is now properly certified.
The Schmitz-Hübsch fruit farm already has a very good operational eco-balance thanks to the generation of its own energy via photovoltaic systems, the use of electromobility and heat recovery in the cold stores. In the area of sustainable water management, the company works with a rainwater storage basin, fully automatic irrigation control using soil sensors and economical drip irrigation. The 11,000 m² biodiversity area with robust orchard trees and regional seeding as well as the 3,000 m² flower strips along the orchards are also worth highlighting. The farm also has a high level of social commitment, which is reflected in the opening of the Museum of Fruit Growing in the former fruit canning hall and also in regular tours of the farm for school classes.
CONTACT
Fruit Farm Schmitz-Hübsch
Bonn-Brühler-Str. 14
53332 Bornheim – Merten
brief[at]schmitzhuebsch.de
Image: Obstbau Schmitz-Hübsch