"... it was the fruit that the juice industry needed and that gave the farmers a secure income... "

In the 1980s, quite a few building shells were financed by the red currant production, which achieved record prices of 25 Austrian shillings for 10,000 kg", according to many retired farmers. Black and red currants were the main fruit of the STBOG. Record harvests of more than 4.2 million kilograms of fruit were marketed throughout Europe, most of it fresh. The record year of 1978 is often mentioned, when frost damage across Europe caused demand to shoot up. The Styrian growing areas were almost completely spared by the frost, which meant that record prices were accompanied by a record harvest. The one-day loading capacity of 16 truck loads was an international record at the time.However, as result of the mechanisation of the harvesting methods, the expansion of the growing areas in eastern Europe and finally the nuclear catastrophe in Chernobyl in 1986 (which meant that a harvest ban was imposed in Austria), conventional currant production in Styria lost its significance. Nowadays, only high-quality organic currants are grown by the cooperative.

"... it was the colour that our partners and customers loved about elder and which they brought to perfection..."

The first attempts at elder production bore fruit in 1978. The Haschberg variety was selected in the Klosterneuburg research institute, and it is the most popular main elder variety to be cultivated. Specialists from the food industry took notice of elder and soon recognised their high colour content and low levels of fruit acid, which they found to be beneficial. The increasingly positive development of the elder market fully compensated for the decline of the black currant. Cultivation areas and harvest volumes were continually expanded. The year 2011 saw a record harvest of 8.8 million kilograms on 1,400 hectares of land. Approx. 5% of that was organically grown, mostly in Lower Austria and Burgenland. The Styrian climate, its soil, and above all the diligence of the 550 producers turned the Styrian elder into the second most important exported fruit after the apple. Recently, it was not just the elderberry that gained significance in the market, the elderflower did, too.

"... it was necessary in order to process the fruit, store it and to deliver the best quality..."

The organisation of the harvest calls for harvest logistics - harvest logistics calls for investment - and investment calls for courageous and innovative people who are prepared to take risks. These were the people who got together in the Styrian soft fruit cooperative, who continuously invested in harvest crates, acceptance halls, truck fleets and processing solutions. With the elder harvest, logistics faced new challenges. It soon became apparent that a cold storage building and an automatic destalking plant were needed to empty crates and for primary processing. And so, in 1994, in partnership with the Philipp family, Beerenfrost Kühlhaus GmbH was founded in Lieboch. This cold storage facility is currently undergoing construction for the fourth time and has established itself as one of Europe's most efficient cold storage facilities. There is nowhere else where a day's harvest of up to 1,000 tonnes (approx. 50 truck loads) can be processed for refrigeration and stored. STBOG currently has more than 650,000 harvest crates and five storage facilities, and it has a 25% strategic stake in Beerenfrost Kühlhaus GmbH.

"... it has always been the brilliant minds that shaped the cooperative and made it fit for the future..."

These are the people whose efforts and personal commitment contributed to the success of the cooperative as a whole. There are numerous examples: they include the many work groups that prepare the management board resolutions; the supervisory board that acts as a controlling body; the staff responsible for implementation; but above all the innovative elder and currant farmers who support their colleagues through their experience and actions and always introduce innovations. External institutions also contribute to the cooperative's success. The chamber of agriculture which provides expert production advice; many research partners (HBLA Klosterneuburg, TU Graz, Haidegg etc.) who always carry out interesting research projects in collaboration with STBOG; all partners and customers of the cooperative, that promote product development; and all the lobbying groups and associations that are well-disposed towards STBOG. We would like to take the opportunity to thank them all!