Mission statement & values

For over 100 years, manufacturing brand Kräuter Mix has stood for high quality and safety of plant-based raw materials. At the core of our product safety culture is a comprehensive, integrated quality management system, including a safety plan for risk assessment.

We ensure seamless, documented processes – from procurement and raw material analysis to processing and storage right through to delivery to our customers around the globe – to ensure our food products, plant-based medicines and animal feed are extremely safe. A range of departments work together in working groups like the food and feed safety group and quality groups to systematically optimize our products and processes. Both internal and external audits from customers and independent certifiers also help us achieve this mission.

Our quality relies on committed, well-informed employees and regular communication. Each of our employees plays an important role in our company and our culture of product safety. To that end, we make sure to communicate our values and standards during the induction process, alongside relevant work and procedural training.

Our corporate structure is reflected in this Code of Conduct and Corporate Mission as well as in our Environmental and Safety Policy Guidelines. All employees are given repeat and, where necessary, event-specific training.

We all have a responsibility to point out problems, sources of error and areas of waste, with a number of options available for this purpose. These include recorded probationary interviews, feedback sessions with managers, employee-management dialogue sessions and the improvement system.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the people who support us at Kräuter Mix. Our people are our biggest asset, and we have a responsibility toward them. That’s why we count on motivated, business-minded employees, highly qualified staff, our own in-house in-depth training and CPD as well as ongoing individual and organizational learning.

Each and every individual at Kräuter Mix is free to grow their own skills and interests in line with company needs.

Here at Kräuter Mix, we actively encourage employee involvement. We promote improvements, reward innovation and foster open and direct communication. Because that’s how we work together to find solutions and avoid mistakes. We embody flat hierarchies and short decision-making pathways. Everyone can and should take responsibility.

Alongside our work, we have a variety of activities in place to strengthen our community spirit. This reflects our company culture: we are a family business that stands for just that, in the very best sense of the term. We want work to feel like a family.

We also embody diversity and equal opportunities. Talent, expertise, commitment and loyalty all deserve respect and appreciation regardless of origin, age, gender, religion or sexual orientation. We have made sure to have points of contact in place for those seeking advice or to make a complaint. These are line managers, an employee-elected staff comittee, our Equal Opportunities
Officer, the HR team and the anonymous comment box.

We also take part in regular SMETA social audits to safeguard fair employee treatment here in the company.

Our company’s success is contingent on the natural environment, because producing high-quality natural products relies on protecting both nature and biodiversity, keeping soil unpolluted and the air and water clean. That’s why we place enormous value on resource conservation and sustainability for our plant-based raw materials and strive to avoid waste as a matter of course.

When it comes to protecting the planet, we are committed to going beyond the legal requirements at our own site and systematically work to improve our environmental performance, as evidenced by our EMAS certification, which has been updated every year since 2015.

This certification stands for the most demanding environmental management system worldwide. We publish our environmental reports on our website and in the EMAS register.

Since 2014, we have met 100 percent of our electricity needs with renewable energy. Now, our focus is on systematically monitoring and optimizing technical processes and systems to
improve energy and resource efficiency and reduce waste. Our employees continue to inspire us with suggestions for improvement, and we are in regular contact with relevant associations
and academic institutions.

Kräuter Mix takes responsibility. Social engagement and social justice are never empty promises as far as we’re concerned. We prioritize social engagement in all areas of company life, in a wide variety of ways and through a range of national and international projects. Plus, we have our very own sustainability department and our non-profit association Mix for Kids to promote sport and youth in our region, across Germany and around the globe. We are committed to helping those in need – for our suppliers around the globe, for human rights, decent wages and working conditions and for a life truly worth living.

We are also privileged to put our many years of experience and expertise to good use through active membership and in-depth partnerships with a number of scientific, administrative and trade association networks. As such, we are proud to promote the further development of legal regulations as well as of social acceptance and appreciation of our herbal food and feed products as well as medicines and active ingredients.

Our experience, knowledge and skill-set have won over customers all over the world. We have been working with many of them for a very long time, in some cases even
decades. They too have grown their businesses successfully, just like us. Our relationships today are the result of an in-depth partnership.

Trust plays a vital role in building and maintaining customer relationships, as does knowing what the customer needs and promptly meeting those needs. We know that quality means service, advice and reliable delivery. We also make sure to keep up relationships with our customers via trade fairs, conferences and association work. We are also proud to be a reliable project and innovation partner, for example in product development and issues of sustainability.

We are proud of our Franconian roots, but also feel privileged to operate around the globe, procuring our plant-based raw materials worldwide and selling our products in international markets. As such, we share responsibility for the impact of our raw material use, regardless of where they are grown or collected.

We procure our air-dried herbs, vegetables and spices from qualified suppliers. Our sustainability management has established a system to monitor critical aspects throughout the supply chain.

Our audit team visits specifically selected suppliers to address any risks to quality and sustainability and develop collaborative solution strategies. The team works on different projects to help build partnerships with a positive impact on social conditions and resource use in the countries of origin of our products.

Our Supplier Code of Conduct expands on our policies and applies both to us and our suppliers in equal measure.

We are well aware that our ethical actions also shape both our reputation and internal culture. That’s why we make sure to adhere to the following rules and clarify any questions we may
have with our managers:

We comply with national and EU law and cooperate fully with all government and regulatory authorities.

We treat company property responsibly and save resources. We respect and protect intellectual property as well as confidential or private information.

We never engage in illegal activities such as corruption, bribery or kickbacks and comply with competition law.

We conduct our business, record keeping and financial reporting in a proper and transparent manner.

We are committed to transparency in giving and accepting gifts and invitations. Employees may only accept gifts or invitations worth more than 50 euros where

• it has been approved by the department management;
• it is done in accordance with any applicable regulations;
• it is customary for the country or industry; and
• it does not have an unreasonable impact on the nature or duration of the business relationship.