Own fruit cultivation
The flavour that gives a fruit its individuality.
In Franconian Switzerland, the real focus of fruit growing today is on its potential for commercial utilisation. This means that the fruit must first and foremost look appetising, be large, have plenty of flesh and, above all, taste sweet. However, these fruits often lack the decisive factor: The flavour that gives a fruit its individuality.
Many formerly native and particularly aromatic fruit varieties, especially pears, apples and some plum varieties, have therefore almost completely disappeared from Franconian Switzerland. Typical examples of this are the Grafenstein apple, the Gute Luise and the Gute Graue (pears), or the Zibarte (wild plum).
At our distillery, we are going against the trend in the industry to think more and more in terms of the division of labour by taking a step back in development and growing these old fruit varieties ourselves. This allows us to ensure the highest possible quality of our raw materials.
From trees of old varieties that are still available in Franconian Switzerland, "voyages" are taken and grafted onto conventional apple, pear or plum trunks. After 1-2 years, we plant the young fruit trees on our own land on our family farm and cultivate them lovingly by hand.
This gives us the opportunity to determine the optimum harvest time for our own fruit. The fruit remains on the tree until it reaches the optimum degree of ripeness and therefore develops its maximum flavour. We therefore not only avoid long supply chains, but also a loss of flavour on the way from the producer to our distillery. Depending on the fruit and variety, there are only a few hours between the time of harvest and the start of fermentation at our distillery.
This means that the highest quality is already achieved during the production of our raw materials, which has a decisive influence on the quality of the actual distillate. This holistic control of the entire process - from the selection of varieties to cultivation, harvesting and processing - allows us to ensure that only the best fruit ends up in our high-quality spirits.
Preservation and promotion of biodiversity
Another advantage of growing our own fruit is that we actively contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in Franconian Switzerland. Our orchards provide an important habitat for numerous insect species, including bees, which play an essential role in the ecosystem. By preserving old varieties, we not only promote the diversity of fruit, but also ecological sustainability in the region.
By growing our own fruit, we as Edelbrennerei Haas distinguish ourselves from many other distilleries in Germany and the region, and also make an important contribution to the preservation of the Franconian cultural landscape and the wildlife in Franconian Switzerland.
Our approach combines tradition and innovation by drawing on centuries-old knowledge in fruit growing and at the same time using the most modern techniques for the production of fine brandies - for a product that not only tastes good, but also respects nature.
