When Joseph Wilhelm and his former wife Jennifer Vermeulen started to mix muesli in a bathtub 40 years ago, they would have never thought that RAPUNZEL would develop into an international organic food manufacturer.
Like all big stories, the RAPUNZEL story also started out small. The focus of Joseph Wilhelm back then was the production of muesli and nutspreads and the procurement and distribution of health food products such as bread, fruit and vegetable from organic cultivation. Today, RAPUNZEL markets every year about 12,000 tons of organic food in all the world and more than 450 products - half of which are processed or manufactured in Legau/Allgäu.
The biggest challenge of such a development is the challenge of remaining true to one’s principles. Joseph Wilhelm managed to do just that! All his actions are still inspired by the basic idea of promoting and supporting organic agriculture – beyond Germany and Europe.
Especially important was the procurement of raw materials in sufficiently high organic quality. To this end, Joseph Wilhelm founded the so-called RAPUNZEL projects. In 1976, the first RAPUNZEL project started in Turkey with organic dried fruit and nuts; a few years later, coconuts started to be grown in Sri Lanka.
Along the entire chain, from the field to the finished product, RAPUNZEL advises farmers and producers – over time, a joint venture will develop. But also social and political aspects are taken into consideration. Today, RAPUNZEL procures organic raw materials from nearly 40 countries worldwide and the organic RAPUNZEL products can be bought in almost as many countries.
