01 December 2020
For those of us who celebrate the winter holidays, Christmas trees can be a true highlight of the festive period, bringing cheer to dark days. But how much work goes into producing a beautiful tree? And why should you buy a tree bearing the GGN label logo? Find out in this farm story.
Welcome to Christbaum Klug
The Christmas tree farm Christbaum Klug is a family enterprise which was founded in 1970. For 50 years, the Klug family has been cultivating quality trees on 100 hectares of woodland in the Spessart, a low mountain range in north-west Bavaria, Germany. Now, Christbaum Klug is also a proud producer of trees with the GGN label logo.
Christmas season brings hard work
Peak season for the company begins in October, when 30 staff members are put to work. In November, the Christmas tree harvest can begin. Trees must be labeled, cut, and packaged in nets before delivery to wholesalers, retailers, and garden centers. But the work doesn’t just include felling whole trees: each year, 200–300 tons of cut foliage are also harvested. These are bundled together and sold for decorations.
Hard graft to grow a tree
And when they’re not harvesting trees? To ensure a constant supply, Christbaum Klug plants around 60,000 trees of five different fir and spruce species each year. The growing trees also need to be monitored and looked after to ensure top-quality goods. Weeds must be treated, and a great deal of topiary is required to ensure the trees grow in a nice, regular shape. All of this work must be done constantly over the 8 to 12 years it takes for a tree to grow large enough to sell.
GGN label logo
But with all this experience and such smooth operations, what made company head Uwe Klug want to achieve GLOBALG.A.P. certification and use the GGN label logo? “For me, the GGN label logo is a symbol of high quality that you can trust. For most people, Christmas trees are part of Christmas, but for us they are our livelihood. It’s great to be able to use the GGN label logo to prove to the customers that they are receiving a quality product.”
And that is indeed true. The GGN label logo is a universal mark used to promote safe and responsible farming, benefitting producers, retailers, and consumers around the globe.
Why choose GGN?
When you see a GGN label logo on a product, you know that the product has been produced according to the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard. The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard is an internationally recognized and accredited set of good farming practices that cover food safety, sustainability, environmental protection, animal welfare, social responsibility, and supply chain traceability.
When you buy a product with a GGN label logo, you can scan the QR code or enter the label logo number into the GGN portal to find out exactly where the product came from. This level of transparency can offer you peace of mind when shopping.
So when you are shopping for your tree this year, look out for one with a GGN label logo. Who knows, it may have come from Christbaum Klug!