Neumarkter Lammsbräu: Turnover above pre-Corona level in 2022

Organic pioneer Neumarkter Lammsbräu has stabilised its sales at a high level in 2022 in a challenging business environment: Despite the impact of the Corona pandemic and the geopolitical turn of events, the Upper Palatinate-based company recorded sales of €31.8 m, down 1.24 per cent on the previous year (€32.2 m) but up 10.03 per cent on the pre-Corona year of 2019 (€28.9 m).

Sales of organic beer amounted to 98,379 hl in the reporting year (2021: 105,783 hl, 2019: 101,346 hl). Sales of non-alcoholic organic beverages amounted to 161,907 hl (2021: 164,637 hl, 2019: 156,198 hl). In total, Lammsbräu sold 260,286 hl of organic beverages in 2022 (2021: 270,420 hl, 2019: 257,544 hl).

Johannes Ehrnsperger, owner and managing director of Neumarker Lammsbräu: "We look back on three extraordinary years that were characterised by opposing effects: On the one hand, the general awareness for a healthier and more sustainable diet continued to increase during the Corona period and initially boosted the organic market. On the other hand, the after-effects of the lockdown restrictions in the catering industry and the inflation that has unfolded since the start of the Ukrainian war in 2022 are clearly visible in people's consumption behaviour. For us, these developments mean two things: as an organic pioneer, we see our decades-long commitment to greater sustainability and genuine enjoyment fundamentally confirmed in the market as well, and we will continue to pursue it consistently. That is our core. On the other hand, the current savings behaviour in large parts of the population motivates us to adapt our own marketing activities as well as our cost structure to this and to implement important reform projects now. This includes, for example, providing broad support to the trade with attractive secondary placement and information offers so that the special features of the Lammsbräu product range are also shown to even better advantage at the POS. In addition, measures such as cooperations with other producers and increasing resource efficiency along the entire production process will also help to overcome this phase of purchasing restraint in a stronger way."

Due diligence strategy: Key milestones achieved in the supply network

Lammsbräu's decades-long social and ecological commitment is characterised by the assumption of responsibility "from the field to the jar". The Upper Palatinate company not only designs its own company, but also its entire supply network to be as sustainable, fair and traceable as possible. With its due diligence strategy, Lammsbräu goes far beyond the requirements that the legislator places on companies. The organic pioneer has the clear claim to know the origin of all essential organic raw materials and all actors in its supply network, to take care of the social and ecological conditions on site and to improve them if necessary. And it does this even though, due to its size, it would not actually even be obliged to check its supply network.

One aspect that makes Lammsbräu's fair dealings with suppliers tangible and exemplary is their payment. This has long been based on long-term contracts which, for example, enable the organic farmers who supply the products to make a good economic living and to pass on intact farms to the next generation. Prices are not set according to the world market, but according to the actual needs of the farmers, which are determined jointly. An important milestone for this is an ongoing pilot project with Regionalwert Leistungen GmbH, the results of which will be incorporated into future framework agreements. In this project, Lammsbräu 2022 has quantified for the first time the concrete added value that an average organic farm in the regional Lammsbräu producer association EZÖB generates per year for the environment and the common good through its sustainable management in addition to its food production. An online tool from Regionalwert Leistungen was used to financially evaluate the sustainability performance of the organic farmers, based on approximately 300 key figures. The organic farmers were asked, among other things, about the form of fertilisation or the origin of feed. The results are clear: the approximately 180 EZÖB farmers generate around 53,200 euros per farm and, extrapolated, around 9.6 million euros annually in added value for the environment and the common good.

Another important milestone in Lammsbräu's due diligence strategy, which was achieved in 2022, is the Naturland Fair certification of the first varieties of now organic lemonades. The seal, awarded for the first time to lemonades, confirms Lammsbräu's reliable trade relations within the supply network, fair prices for producers as well as processing and trading partners, joint quality assurance involving all involved stakeholders, fair treatment of employees, social commitment and transparent communication to all stakeholders based on recognised standards such as GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) or DNK (German Sustainability Code), even beyond the home region and the product line of organic beers. The basis for obtaining the seal is a separate department in the company that identifies all stakeholders in the network, seeks exchanges with them and gains insights into companies and working methods. In this way, Lammsbräu recognises risks in cultivation regions or on trade routes in good time, supports its partners and initiates countermeasures in advance of potential undesirable developments.