Investment becomes climate protection.
Our family business owns its own farm in Paraguay – originally an investment project – where we decided ten years ago to plant new trees to protect the climate and save CO2.
By 2033, there should be over 1.5 million trees there. A big but certainly achievable goal. Because our farm is not a normal farm, but an 18,000 hectare area. That's the equivalent of more than 25,000 football fields or well over half of the entire Munich city area.
Such a gigantic reforestation project naturally requires careful planning. Even the smallest details can determine whether the project will be successful or not. That's why we brought together a team of financial experts, lawyers, forestry and agricultural scientists, biologists and climate researchers, veterinarians and human medicine specialists right from the start.
In our search for suitable trees, we finally came across the evergreen and insect-resistant neem tree (lat. Azadirachta indica). A robust plant that is perfect for sustainable reforestation in the extreme climatic conditions in Paraguay (sun, heat, drought). Its foliage grows quickly and becomes very dense. This means that a large amount of CO2 can be absorbed and bound from the atmosphere.
Farmland becomes forest.
As soon as a farm becomes a plantation or a forest, it should be managed professionally. This ranges from the cultivation of new seedlings to the care of the mature trees. And since we chose the neem tree, we could now choose between moderate, necessary tree care or targeted pruning and harvesting aimed at yield.
We immediately recognized how valuable the raw material neem is, which we can now obtain on our farm. Since then, we have viewed our neem leaves not only as biomass, as compostable "waste" from tree care, but as a valuable resource - as a precious treasure that now needs to be unearthed.
From quantity comes quality.
Due to the size of our farm and the number of trees planted (currently over 202,000), we already have one of the world's largest neem reserves as a single producer.
Our rapidly increasing pace of reforestation and the constant development of our harvesting and processing methods in our own production hall on site will allow us to multiply the production volume of our neem powder again in the coming years.
On our El Retiro farm we produce neem powder of incomparably high quality and purity. Our organic-certified farm is located far away from harmful environmental influences. In the middle of the Paraguayan steppe. No major city for miles around, no highway anywhere and no airport. Completely untouched, shielded from exhaust fumes and other pollutants. Far away from any civilization. Just somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
Control becomes security.
High-tech becomes organic.
We control the entire value chain. We avoid questionable middlemen and instead rely exclusively on controlled home cultivation.
This is the only way we can be sure that the neem powder we use for production has, on the one hand, its uncontaminated high degree of purity and, on the other hand, that it comes 100% from our active ingredient-rich neem leaves that are gently dried in our own facility and that no other, less valuable plant components of the neem tree have been added.
We grow our seedlings ourselves, by hand, and only from the seeds of our own trees. This way we know where they come from genetically. We do not use any kind of chemicals and, as our farm is certified organic according to EU regulations , we do not use harmful pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Our trees are fertilized by - depending on the season - up to 13,000 cows that live on our farm, while the trees provide them with pleasant shade: win-win!
Organic certified, high quality farm.
Our farm has been certified by CERES (= Certification of Environmental Standards GmbH), so we can claim to be an organic-certified farm according to CE-OS (= CERES Organic standards). We have also received a photosanitary certificate from DINAVISA (= Dirección Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria), which proves that the leaves are free of pests and can therefore be imported into Germany without quarantine. This proves the purity and high quality of our neem leaves, which is guaranteed thanks to strict controls and regular inspections of our neem trees by the officials.
In everything else, however, we rely less on nature and chance. We always try to operate as energy-efficiently and sustainably as possible. Our workers on the farm are supported as best as possible with all the technologies available to us. These are developed partly in Germany and partly locally in Paraguay, and mostly by us. From AI-supported growth monitoring to software and hardware solutions developed by us to optimize yields and protect the environment and resources as much as possible.
Ownership becomes responsibility.
Responsibility becomes obligation.
So when, like us, you go from an idea for climate protection to one of the world's largest and highest-quality neem deposits - more or less by chance - you quickly understand that this gift is a privilege that also brings with it a great responsibility. And we wanted to and will gladly take on this obligation.
We wanted to handle the neem raw material that is now available to us as conscientiously and effectively as we reforest and maintain our plantation professionally and sustainably. And with the workers on our farm - in a fair, cooperative relationship on an equal footing.
Over 150 people live and work on El Retiro. Their daily commitment makes a significant contribution to the success of our mission. We even had a school built specifically to give the children on the farm the opportunity to attend classes on site and not have to go to boarding school away from their parents. All of our workers and their families are of course covered by social and health insurance.
Our sister company NPP (Neem Products Paraguay) is responsible for all operational activities on our farm.
A possibility becomes an idea.
When deciding what to do with all the neem we now had at our disposal, one thing quickly became clear to us: We didn't just want to sell it. We wanted to develop our own product!
We knew that neem and its active ingredients have been used successfully for thousands of years as one of the most important medicinal plants in Ayurvedic medicine in India and by indigenous peoples in Central and South America to treat numerous diseases. There, neem is often referred to as "the village pharmacy" due to its wide range of uses.
Neem has now also become a new secret weapon in western pharmacology and conventional medicine. Oncology hopes to soon find reliable allies in the fight against cancer in certain neem active ingredients, such as nimbolide. Manufacturers of food supplements have also discovered neem for themselves. And dermatologists today value neem not least for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The active ingredients in neem are ideal for treating and supporting therapy for a wide range of skin problems and diseases, such as acne, eczema and neurodermatitis, and also and especially for psoriasis.
Our neem becomes natüür.
The idea for natüür was ultimately born from these possibilities that neem offered us. The idea for a cosmetic care series that should be used primarily as an adjunct to psoriasis therapy.
We developed our first skincare cream in 2021. The focus of our work was always the optimal effect of the neem extract and the maximum benefit for the users: initially for users in our circle of friends and family and all the other well over 1.5 million people who live with psoriasis in Germany alone. From now on, we wanted to make the power of our neem as usable as possible for them!
We have now expanded our target group massively, not least due to the extremely positive feedback from our customers, but also on the advice of numerous dermatologists who already recommend our products to patients and users with neurodermatitis, eczema and dry and sensitive skin.
Users become co-designers.
Our goal is to develop the best possible products. Products that really work! We don't want to offer products based on gut feelings and good hope. That's why we created our co-creator program.
At natüür, all products are not only developed for the users, but also with the users. We are convinced that only through this close collaboration can we ultimately determine the actual needs and achieve the best results and maximum effect from the products. Because who could say better than you whether our psoriasis products are effective?
As a co-creator, you not only have the opportunity to test our products extensively, but also to actively help shape our decision-making processes regarding future products: from the idea for new products to their development and production, right up to the choice of the right containers (dispensers, jars, tubes, bottles, etc.) or even the filling quantity... Become a co-designer of your natüür products. True to the motto "with users, for users". And get exciting insights behind the scenes!
A care cream becomes an entire care series. And an international success.
What began with a care cream has now grown into a whole range of neem products: scalp oil, nail balm, a rich care cream, a cream forte and a scalp tonic... And a number of other products are already in development.
As one of the world's largest single producers of the highest quality Neem, we now sell products made from our own Neem in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Great Britain and soon also in the USA.
