Granini

Fruits come in many varieties. Some types and species are just nice to look at; some are delicious to eat. Only a small portion, however, will yield the perfect juice. These are the ones we pick for granini – even though some of them may look a bit odd and are unlikely to catch your eye on a supermarket shelf.

In spite of the long-standing relationships we have with many of our reliable partners, we have them audited by independent quality institutes on a regular basis.

We never buy cheap fruit from spot markets. Instead, we thoroughly inspect each individual harvest to guarantee our superior quality standards.

And it is not until a given lot of fruit has passed the full set of our rigorous sensorial, ingredient and microbiological tests that it may be called ‘granini fruit’.

At granini we invest not just in outstanding raw materials but also in the ideas and technology to bring out the best in them.

With our focus on fruit and our capacity to engage in fundamental research, we have always seen ourselves at the forefront of technological progress, which – in our belief – is the only way to guarantee top quality in the long run.

As early as the 1950s, we developed new methods for gentle fruit processing and juice production. In the early 60s, we pioneered the cultivation of oranges in Brazil. In the 70s, we became leaders in the stabilisation of vitamins in fruit juices.

granini was the first fruit juice in Germany to be sold in light and eco-friendly PET bottles, which from early on were made of special multi-layer laminates to protect the taste and precious ingredients. In recent years we have become forerunners in cold aseptic filling, a method that takes extreme care of the juice. Another innovative technology enables the ultra-fine processing of fruit pulp, resulting in a novel type of juice with a smoother mouth-feel and richer flavour.

Whenever a new invention is made to improve quality, you can count on granini to be among the first to embrace it.

A lot of knowledge and passion goes into each new flavour from granini and into every single bottle. We are proud that so many of our team members have been with granini for decades. Their collective experience is an advantage that sets our family enterprise apart from many anonymous business concerns.

When formulating new recipes, we routinely prepare up to 70 alternative mixes to find the best combination of close to 150 ingredients, and to determine the specific fruit variety needed to satisfy the palates of our demanding taste panel. This is comprised of a number of ‘juice sommeliers’ gifted with outstandingly subtle noses and taste buds.

Once the perfect taste has been found, we do everything to maintain it, down to its finest nuances. A granini juice undergoes as many as 50 tests during the entire production process.

All juices are bottled in cleanrooms and are rigorously tested before they leave our premises. Not even after that do we lose sight of the produce we have taken such great care in making: our computer- based tracking systems enable us to monitor our juices from the supplier to the shelf.

Having been in the taste business for so long, we at granini know how important the perfect balance of all elements is.

We believe this applies not just to our natural produce but to nature as a whole. Which is why ecological efforts play a fundamental role throughout our thinking and our operations.

In Germany, for example, we were the first food company to pass the European community’s voluntary yet extremely exacting eco- audit EMAS II in 2001.

Ecological guidelines are in place for all our employees and for every department. We regularly send our staff to training courses and appoint environmental specialists whose responsibility it is to ensure waste avoidance and separation, the reduction of water and energy consumption and the general minimisation of emissions.

As responsible corporate citizens, we promote sustainability in the social realm as well. We are a leading member of the SGF (Sure, Global, Fair) initiative. The members of this organisation of more than 600 companies from over 50 countries all attach great importance to a strict ethical code of conduct including a comprehensive set of well-defined rules on social behaviour, working conditions, fair trade and sustainability.

At granini we consider these to be vital components of our quality promise, as we feel strongly that the granini brand should engender positive and pleasurable emotions in people wherever and how ever they come into contact with it.