Photos: iStock\/AzmanL, VOLLERS GROUP (2)<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″ custom_padding=”||||false|false”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″]
A good harvest may be the most important thing to tea enthusiasts at first glance. However, reliable logistics are just as important. This is becoming more important as tea gains in popularity. Per capita consumption of black, green, herbal and fruit tea increased by about one litre, to a total of 68 litres, in 2019. Herbal and fruit teas now rank first at about 40 litres. But black and green tea also increased by 1.6 litres to a total of 28 litres. German consumers drank 47 billion cups of tea overall. This equates to a quantity of about 40,000 tonnes (67 per cent) of herbal and fruit tea, and 19,200 tonnes of black and green tea (33 per cent).<\/p>\r\n
Bearing these figures in ind, it is clear what Bernd Jamin, Director of Tea at logistics service provider Vollers, means when he says, \u201cWe process one out of every four cups of tea.\u201d A total of around 5,500 tonnes of tea are moved through and stored across approximately 18,000 square metres in Building 6 at Bremen\u2019s Europahafen. \u201cOur warehouse turns over about once per year,\u201d says Jamin. \u201cWe imported around 4,500 tonnes in 2020, and last year more than 200 tonnes of tea mix were produced from that per month.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
After being plucked in the exporting countries\u2019 tea gardens and packed into paper sacks, the tea is loaded onto pallets in containers. The tea is then transported through the import harbours in Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg, and most of it is sent to the Vollers warehouse in Bremen by lorry. \u201cThe containers also come from Hamburg by train,\u201d says Jamin. Vollers not only takes care of organising the transport and storage, but also stocking, fine picking and mixing. For the latter, the company receives the respective recipes (and keeps them confidential, of course).<\/p>\r\n
The sampling is not done at Vollers, but rather first by the tea dealers on site, such as local tea traders Kloth & K\u00f6hnken. It happens again before storage in Bremen, and once more before sale. \u201cBecause we work closely together, there\u2019s an internal courier service for the samples,\u201d says Jarmin. Only once these are approved do our clients sell the products.
One of these clients is Bremen-based mail order company Paul Schrader, which celebrated its 100th birthday on 3 May. Executive Director Michael Rolf is a tea connoisseur: \u201cMost good green teas come from China and Japan,\u201d he says. Yet the company is primarily known for its Darjeeling,
although the company does not have its own storage spaces for raw tea.<\/p>\r\n
We\u2019ve been working with our partners Vollers and Kloth & K\u00f6hnken for about 15 years now,\u201d Rolf notes. And the mixing was outsourced twelve years ago. \u201cAt the time we needed new packing machines and got in touch with the Martinshof workshops here in Bremen, which are some of the largest and oldest in Germany. An extra machine was purchased just for us.\u201d They now have numerous filling machines. Around 100 persons with disabilities mix and package not only tea, but also drinking chocolate, coffee and nuts for Paul Schrader. \u201cThere are a lot of work steps, mainly manual work,\u201d Rolf explains.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ module_class=”dtb-sticky” _builder_version=”4.4.8″][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_7″ show_border=”off” admin_label=”Werbung Startseite \/ Artikel” _builder_version=”4.5.2″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_sidebar][et_pb_blurb title=”Facts” _builder_version=”4.4.9″ header_font=”|||on|||||” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”25px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_blurb_title=”display: inline-block!important;||background: #002754!important;||padding: 5px 13px 3px 13px!important;||position: relative!important;” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#002754″ header_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” header_text_color__hover=”rgba(255,255,255,0.71)”][\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″]
Founded<\/strong>: 1932 Founded:<\/strong> 1921 46,643 tonnes of black and green tea from 72 countries were imported into Germany in 2019. Around half (45 per cent), or 22,243 tonnes, were sent to 108 countries around the world, equating to an increase of one per cent.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″ custom_padding=”||||false|false”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″] This means that Paul Schrader\u2019s 8,500 square metre warehouse does not need storage space, but picking space. The mail order company can order its goods just in time, as it is only ten kilometres from Martinshof. \u201cFor example, it\u2019s usually a europallet or D\u00fcsseldorfer half pallet,\u201d says Rolf. \u201cThat\u2019s ideal for us, of course.\u201d But the manager is proud of something else entirely: \u201cTogether with Martinshof we have developed the \u2018fair pakt\u2019 seal that shows social commitment and can be found on all of our tea packaging.\u201d<\/p>\r\n For some years now, Rolf has also offered other mail order companies fulfilment \u2013 meaning the processing of all mail order services. Major and minor online platforms are used to sell products. With foodhall.de, the company provides a special marketplace for selling tea and other specialties in addition to the webshop on its homepage.<\/p>\r\n The company has clearly been affected by the pandemic: With foodhall.de, the company provides a special marketplace for selling tea and other specialties in addition to the webshop on its homepage. \u201cThe batch usually came 14 days later.\u201d But thankfully it did not get so critical that it disrupted business. \u201cOur customers also know this and have shown they understand.\u201d There were also no obstacles with regard to other materials, such as for packaging. \u201cRather, we\u2019ve been grappling with Brexit because some batches have been caught up in customs. \u201cThe good thing is we were able to stock up on whatever was available in Germany at the time.\u201d (cb)<\/em><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ module_class=”dtb-sticky” _builder_version=”4.4.8″][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” disabled_on=”off|off|on” _builder_version=”4.4.9″ height=”25px”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_9″ show_border=”off” admin_label=”Werbung Artikel” _builder_version=”4.5.2″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_sidebar][et_pb_blurb title=”More Information” _builder_version=”4.4.9″ header_font=”|||on|||||” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”25px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_blurb_title=”display: inline-block!important;||background: #002754!important;||padding: 5px 13px 3px 13px!important;||position: relative!important;” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#002754″ header_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” header_text_color__hover=”rgba(255,255,255,0.71)”][\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ text_orientation=”center”]
Field of business<\/strong>: Logistics services for tea, such as transport, import\/export processing, storage logistics, handling and mixing
Location<\/strong>: Bremen (head office) and eleven other locations in eight European countries
Storage space:<\/strong> 500,000 square metres
Employees<\/strong>: 350 Europe-wide, 20 for tea<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb title=”Facts” _builder_version=”4.4.9″ header_font=”|||on|||||” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font_size=”16px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”25px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_blurb_title=”display: inline-block!important;||background: #002754!important;||padding: 5px 13px 3px 13px!important;||position: relative!important;” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#002754″ header_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” header_text_color__hover=”rgba(255,255,255,0.71)”][\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″]Paul Schrader<\/h2>\r\n
Fields of business:<\/strong> Shipping
Location:<\/strong> Weyhe near Bremen
Shipping volume:<\/strong> 250,000 parcels per\u00a0year
Employees:<\/strong> 60<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ background_image=”https:\/\/www.logistics-pilot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/192-VOL-Vollers-020678-Tee_02701-c-Vollers-Group.jpg” parallax=”on” custom_padding=”300px||300px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”150px||150px||false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.9″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ text_text_color=”#002e5b”]Storage, mixing and shipping in Bremen<\/h2>\r\n