Natural specialities fresh from the farm

It all began with the packaging of hay. Today the range of products offered by the family firm, which employs more than 200 people at its base in the little town of Pessenburgheim between Nuremberg and Munich, is extensive. It comprises over 700 products for small animals, wild and cage birds, other animals in the garden and reptiles, plus items for dogs and horses since the last Interzoo. Unlike many other farmers in Germany who relinquished their businesses on account of the structural change in the agricultural sector, the couple Jakob and Herta Ruisinger drew motivation from this. “Why not set up a production plant for pet food?” they asked themselves, especially as they felt that the products available at the time for many animals did not really satisfy the criteria for natural nutrition. Although many made fun of their business idea initially, the basic conditions for realising it were promising. Jakob and Herta Ruisinger love animals above all else, so the farm was already home to a permanent population of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and geese. Working with these on a daily basis, the couple learned about the requirements of the animals. The raw material supply was ideal too: on their farm, the Ruisingers harvested many of the raw materials used in pet food. Their arable land offered them an ongoing opportunity to test out new types of pet food and launch them on the market if they proved to be good. This explains the virtually inexhaustible wealth of innovation of the company, which was named JR Farm from the initials of Jakob Ruisinger. Successful marketing The rapid growth of JR Farm is also attributable to the professional and authentic marketing of the products. Transparent product packaging means that the variety of natural ingredients provides a visual experience as well as appealing to the sense of smell. This is how the company has won its customers over, along with novel items such as the “Tunello”, which provides a supplementary feed and small animal housing all in one, and hay bells with carrot, dandelion or flowers. These items have met with great demand. Rustic wooden cabinets and tastefully designed displays offered to the speciality trade for presentation of the merchandise in store complete the image of an agricultural enterprise specialising in natural products. Steady expansion The great success enjoyed by the company soon meant that the farm buildings were bursting at the seams, and so JR Farm moved to a production plant in…