The health food company Ulrich Walter GmbHLebensbaum means “Tree of life”: A life’s dream creates and preserves living space
For 25 years now, the brand "Lebensbaum" has stood for a harmonious link between man and nature,  for a giving and taking, for conscious action – for sustainability. It thus fulfils Ulrich Walter’s life dream whose Lebensbaum story began in Diepholz in 1979 … The distribution of top-quality, organically produced and good-tasting food, which, at the same time, ensured more ecological awareness and justness in the world.
Nowadays, the company employs about 90 employees and procures more than 500 raw ingredients from 40 countries around the world for the production of over 300 products – and always with the applicable claims to quality: the logo of Lebensbaum decorates only the best raw materials which come from 100 percent organic farming, i.e. without the use of genetic engineering. The pure natural products are subject to strict quality controls, from the cultivation over the harvest to the processing. Careful processing preserves the unspoilt taste. In addition, the fair and responsible dealing with suppliers and partners is one of the top priorities in the company.
Lebensbaum: products for nature and man …
is the motto. Enjoy ecologically and cultivate with sustainability – Since the beginning, Ulrich Walter has oriented his entrepreneurial decisions towards the criteria of sustainability. This means that the social and ecological considerations are always of central importance, apart from the quality of teas, coffees, herbs and spices.
Fair partnerships worldwide
Raw ingredients for the Lebensbaum assortment originate from 40 countries. Apart from the pricing, the cultivation and the quality of the raw ingredients play a crucial role in the selection of the suppliers as well as the working conditions and educational opportunities, medical care, environmental protection and social benefits. The standards of the International Labor Organisation (ILO) have to be fulfilled as well which means, among other things, no child labour, the right of organisation and freedom of assembly as well as fair and appropriate remuneration.
Tea, coffee, spices and herbs for a better future
The Lebensbaum “champagne among the teas” is black and green and comes from the ecological tea plantation Ambootia in the district of Darjeeling in northern India. About 4,500 people live here in a region that suffers  badly from erosion problems. The inhabitants preserve this space through re-forestation programmes; they have also built up biogas and water-operated facilities to generate electricity.
Black, strong, hot and with the TransFair label, the beans come from a cooperative of small farmers from the plateau in the south of Mexico. Select types of coffee from biodynamic cultivation come from the conservation area of the rain forest area from the Mexican Finca Irlanda, a pioneer of sustainable coffee farming in the southern Mexican province of Chiapas. Ulrich Walter GmbH participated in the building of the Justa Sierra School for children and grown-up education in 1998 and still contributes regularly to the operating costs. Apart from reading, writing and arithmetic, the protection of nature and environmental education are part of the curriculum of the children of the pickers and helpers.
The ingredients hibiscus, fennel, camomile and peppermint for the Lebensbaum teas grow in the middle of the desert on Sekem Farm, the first biodynamic farming project in Egypt. In 1977, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, who was awarded the alternative Nobel Prize in 2003, succeeded in turning a 70-hectare area of desert into a fruitful piece of land by means of an underground irrigation system, which nowadays provides jobs for 2,000 people. The profit generated is used to finance social benefits and educational facilities.
The aromatic Mediterranean Lebensbaum herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil and savoury come from Italy as well as from a cooperative for organic herbal cultivation on the northern border of the Provence.
Live environmental protection actively
Organic farming is one of the most effective measures in protecting the environment. The Lebensbaum products,  which come from 100 percent organic farming, therefore stand for the preservation and creation of healthy ecological systems worldwide. Ulrich Walter GmbH, whose premises comprise about 25,000 square metres, is a biotope itself for numerous types of plants and animals. The electricity is completely generated from wind power in the region. The administrative building of the company is a low-energy house and the production and storage buildings have been insulated using high-quality materials. Energy-saving measures and a concept for the waste also contribute to the protection of resources as do the hybrid automobiles of the sales representatives which are operated on natural gas.
new ethics pioneer ...
As a pioneer completely within the meaning of the new ethics philosophy, Ulrich Walter received the label for quality “ethics in business” in 2005 and the first prize for economic ethics for his  outstanding commitment to the environment and social issues as well as for his systematised, sustainable way of cultivation. As patronage Ulrich Wickert awarded the label that proofs sustainable action based on the dealing of companies with people and the environment – also called “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR). Production processes not harmful to the environment, efficient use of resources, the right to say in a matter and equal opportunity at the workplace are also contained in the catalogue of criteria just as are social standards of the suppliers or the question as to whether corruption is involved. Only those who practise sustainable cultivation in a social and ecological context are able to have the new ethics label of quality in future. Early 2008 when the new ethics label of quality will be handed out the first time Ulrich Walter and "Lebensbaum" will certainly be again one of the pioneers.
www.lebensbaum.de
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