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Anniversary Partnership
A perfect couple for 95 years
We’re really proud of this one: Bösch Boden Spies has been the exclusive distributor of Sunsweet plum und prune ingredients in Europe since 1923. The partnership with the Californian cooperative, the longest in our company history, is still vibrantly alive and always good for innovations.
In 1913, the merchant Otto Bösch founds an import agency for dried fruits and spices in Hamburg. In 1917, fruit growers in sunny California merge to form a sales cooperative. At the time, no one has any idea that just six years later, the two companies would launch a joint success story that today ensures a steady supply of high-quality plum und prune ingredients to the whole of Europe.
F.l.t.r.: Brad Schuler (Sunsweet Growers Inc., Vice President, Global Marketing & Sales), Dane Lance (Sunsweet Growers Inc., President and CEO), Michael Rund (Bösch Boden Spies GmbH & Co. KG, General Manager and Partner), Brendon Flynn (Sunsweet Growers Inc., Chairman of the Board)
Shared product DNA
Sunsweet has since become the world market leader for plum and prune products. Hundreds of farmers and their families have been cultivating the product for generations. The ingredients that reach Europe via Bösch Boden Spies are of accordingly high quality: Prunes as concentrate, puree and powder, sliced or diced. Patented production technologies ensure top quality for retailers and food producers.
Over the decades, we and our Californian partner have developed a kind of shared DNA that regularly gives rise to new product ideas. We are also united by our corporate philosophies. For instance, sustainability plays an important role for both partners. This means using energy-efficient and resource-saving processes, as well as also treating each other with trust and transparency, which creates a sustainable relationship. That is our shared basis for lasting success.
Into the future with new ideas
Every relationship – especially a 95-year-old one – goes through phases of calm and phases of change. At the moment, for example, we and our partner are concerned about the trend towards reducing the acreage devoted to plum tree cultivation, often in favor of almonds, pistachios or nuts. Together with Sunsweet, we are bringing new ideas, dedication and professionalism to counteracting this development.
One example: In recent years, the specialists from California have discovered amazing prune functionalities through intensive research. This has multiplied the range of possible applications for this often-underestimated fruit. Meanwhile, our development experts in Hamburg use these new findings to develop customized application solutions for food manufacturers. Complementing each other makes for a perfect couple – for 95 years now, and counting. We look forward to the next chapters in our success story with Sunsweet.
