Riedenburger Brauhaus: A little organic is not enough!

The generational change from the seventh to the eighth generation initiated in 2015 has been completed with Maximilian Krieger taking over the entire management in September 2021. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Michael Krieger says goodbye to the management after more than 50 years.

Michael Krieger took over the management of the brewery in 1970 after a sound education as a master brewer and business graduate and, together with his wife Martha, ushered in a time of change: The company developed from a regional wheat beer brewery into a nationally renowned specialty brewery and also gained international importance. At the beginning of the 1990s, the Krieger couple set a new course and have been brewing 100 percent organically since 1994. The reasons for the organic conversion were many, but first and foremost was always the basic ecological idea. "The key was the organic raw materials," explains Michael Krieger.

How groundbreaking this step was is now more evident than ever. Current climate policy places organic farming at the center of climate protection measures in order to be able to meet its targets at both regional and global level. At the end of August this year, Michael Krieger was honored by the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry for his pioneering achievements in the processing and marketing of organic farming products and was awarded the State Medal in Silver.

The outgoing managing director knows how to justify this honor: "We rely on our own sustainability concept, which has proven its worth over many years. Organic farming plays a central role in this and is supported by other holistic approaches: We source our raw materials from farmers in the region and maintain long-standing partnerships with them. The brewing water comes from our own spring, we use only natural hops and do not filter our beers."

The Krieger family deliberately took a lot of time for the generational changeover in order to successfully develop the organic brewery in the long term. Maximilian Krieger joined the management team back in 2015, allowing his father to withdraw step by step from the operational business. "My parents' ecological awareness has had a great impact on me, and I'm looking forward to continuing on this path with our workforce and our customers," says the 41-year-old.

Maximilian Krieger wants to clearly distinguish himself from the current organic trend. "Trends are usually fleeting. For us, 'organic' is an attitude to life and not a business concept. We have been producing 100 percent organically for 27 years - because a little organic is not enough!" In order to operate in an even more resource-friendly manner, he said he would work more intensively on the company's sustainability strategy and plan further steps toward climate neutrality.