What does it mean to be truly green as a project?
And what does “sustainability” mean to you?
A term that's widely used and, above all, used. Unfortunately, it's often not always honest – in the form of "greenwashing," purely for marketing purposes rather than for the sake of nature. At second glance, sustainable is anything but sustainable. Much of it ends up being just hot air and beneficial to neither people nor the environment.
Exotic raw materials from the other side of the world? A no-go for us.
When we started Panacaia, four aspects of genuine sustainability were important to us: biodynamic agriculture, green packaging, transparency, and a short value chain. We absolutely wanted to avoid shipping exotic raw materials from the other side of the world. And we wanted high quality – for people, animals, nature, and our products. We felt that the usual state organic certification wasn't enough for us. Even this simply had gaps that left us somewhat dissatisfied.
Small Demeter family farms from Germany and Austria.
Clear, transparent, direct.
Our decision then clearly fell on biodynamic farming, specifically Demeter. Due to its circular economy, Demeter farming is one of the most sustainable forms of agriculture, with standards that go far beyond the requirements of the state's organic certification. Demeter farmers see their farm as a unique, living organism. "One organ needs the other. Each part serves the whole. Humans, plants, animals, and soil work together," as Demeter so aptly describes it.
It is a challenge for a young company to operate sustainably at all levels.
And yet, we have to say, it's a process, a challenge, for a young company to operate sustainably at all levels. To be truly green. So many components, so many aspects.
It's important to us that you know exactly where the individual raw materials you consume come from. Transparency, in other words. And a short value chain. In plain English, this simply means: Our honey, as well as our herbs, come from small Demeter farms in Germany and Austria and come directly to us. And we do this through direct communication with the beekeepers and farmers. No middlemen, no long journeys.
When selecting our Demeter partners, we also focus on people who develop comprehensive, sustainable concepts and demonstrate great commitment – thus creating added value for people and nature.
In the following articles, you will learn more about the people behind our raw materials.
Where do our raw materials come from?
Short routes. Transparent. Biodynamic.
Our herb farmers
The Wegwartehof
Brigitte and Andreas are the two people behind Wegwartehof. On the Wild plateau in a large, rugged forest area in Austria, the two have passionately created a small, fine Demeter farm, from which we source some of our nutrient-rich herbs. For more than 30 years, they have managed the farm biodynamically and distributed vital foods that benefit both their customers and themselves. With the guiding principle "We are convinced that our world needs many large and small initiatives to bring about a change in thinking and, above all, a change in behavior," Brigitte and Andreas have created not "just" an organic farm, but a place for raising awareness that "can bear fruit from its connection with the earth." Wegwartehof also offers seminars and events on the ethical treatment of nature and personal development, thus comprehensively promoting the connection between people and the environment. A truly wonderful, meaningful concept and a place that nourishes on all levels.
Rossnagl Herb Farm
Everything organic. Everything made with love. Everything Demeter. And everything dedicated to vital, diverse plants from healthy, living soils. These are Sabine & Christian Rossnagl from the Rossnagl herb farm in Austria. You realize that they live for their plants when you discover this passionate organic farming couple more in the fields among lady's mantle, rosemary, and the like than anywhere else. For us, the two are true doers, with a heart for a vibrant circular economy. With a wealth of experience and passion, the two grow yarrow, St. John's wort, and other women's herbs for us on their Demeter farm in the Groß Burgstaller Waldviertel region. Gently dried, the nutrient-rich plants then come directly to us. And thus from the farmer and his wife to your cup. These are vibrant herbs for a vibrant femininity, the kind we love and want to pass on to you.
And farms that simply think ahead. Fair, conscious, and think outside the box. We at Panacaia fully support this!
A life for the bees
Demeter beekeeper Günter Friedmann
As one of the pioneers of organic beekeeping, Günter Friedmann has been passionately working as a beekeeper for over thirty years, exploring the question of whether and how ecological and ethical treatment of these impressive creatures is possible today. Thus, Günter Friedmann is not "just a classic Demeter beekeeper," but continues to be intensively committed to research as well as education and training. He helped develop the Demeter beekeeping guidelines and has been offering seminars on organic and species-appropriate beekeeping for many years. We consider ourselves fortunate to receive our honey from someone who is so deeply involved in organic beekeeping, so dedicated and so deeply connected to these wonderful creatures, bees.
In 2003, beekeeper Friedmann received the award for organic farming.
And what about our packaging?
Green. Ecological.
If a sustainable company wants to market ecological products, we believe they should also be packaged in green packaging, with the ideal that tea tins and the like have as little negative impact on our environment as possible. Packaging design was a major focus in the development process of Panacaia, and we feel there's still room for improvement in the market. Especially for storing liquid extracts, which prefer to be protected from light, there's a broad trend toward glass or recycled PET containers. However, the idea of storing our high-quality herbal extracts in plastic felt anything but right to us. Therefore, we quickly decided on the following plastic-free options:
Birk grass paper round-shaped cans, Meplat brown glass bottles and fantastic labels made from grape pomace paper from the green printing company Carini in Austria .
To make the whole thing even more sustainable, you, as the "end consumer," are also involved. The glass bottles and grass paper containers are great for reusing. The bottles, for example, would be a great option for trying your hand at making your own tincture with hand-picked herbs. The beautiful round-bottomed containers are perfect for storing all sorts of other things—herbs, dried products, and the like—or for the kids to craft with. Just get a little creative. :)
Below you will find some more details about our packaging materials.
Carini - The sustainable printing company from Austria
Our labels are made from grape pomace paper – specifically, this means 15% grape pomace from wine production, 40% post-consumer fiber (recycled material), and 45% virgin wood pulp. A plant-based product made from renewable and recycled materials, it reduces dependence on increasingly scarce petroleum resources and enables a step toward a circular economy. Carini is actively involved in numerous environmental protection projects.
Birk round-shaped cans – ecologically made from grass paper and virgin fiber cardboard
Completely free of plastic parts, aluminum foil, and plastic film. Biodegradable. 100% paper. Sturdy and durable. Reusable. Lined with greaseproof paper. A mix of grass paper and virgin fiber cardboard. Birk has been developing plastic-free round cardboard boxes made from 100% paper since 2019.
Meplat amber glass bottles - sustainable, reusable
Classic apothecary bottle. Eco-friendly, plastic-free, and reusable. Light-resistant brown glass protects tinctures from nutrient loss.
Good quality for people, animals and the environment cannot be achieved at dumping prices.
It's obvious that our products aren't in the low-price range. And organic isn't always the same, perhaps. Nevertheless, we strive to offer you our teas and extracts at our best possible, fair price. With fair conditions for people, animals, and the environment.
