A day at the farm

Haymanot has been working at Herburg Roses for two years now. As a Compliance Officer, she is the guardian of our standards. Her day often begins with a deep dive into reports and records.

“My focus is on verifying documentation and monitoring our status regarding certifications such as Fairtrade, GLOBALG.A.P., and MPS,” she explains. “I work closely with different departments to ensure that we don’t just follow the rules, but truly implement these standards in our daily operations.”

Impact on the community

In recent years, Herburg Roses has been very active in the social field. Haymanot sees firsthand what these projects mean for the region. Examples include providing educational materials for children in the local community and covering health insurance for thirty households.

But the project that touches Haymanot the most is the Herburg Special Needs School. “I am incredibly proud of this. It provides inclusive education to children with disabilities who might otherwise never have the chance to learn. It represents equality and dignity within our community.”

Caring for nature

Herburg Roses is also making great strides in environmental conservation. Haymanot mentions examples such as removing water hyacinth to improve water quality and producing compost and organic liquid fertilizer from waste. “We even generate biogas as a renewable energy source and plant trees to support biodiversity.”

“We even generate biogas as a renewable energy source and plant trees to support biodiversity”

Of course, this journey is not without its challenges. “In the beginning, we sometimes faced limited resources or a lack of awareness in the surrounding area. We solved this through better planning, training for our colleagues, and appointing dedicated teams to monitor progress. Continuity is the key to success.”

Opportunities for youth

A unique aspect of the way we work at Herburg Roses is the involvement of local youth. Through ‘market linkages,’ young entrepreneurs supply materials and services to the farm. “This allows us to support local entrepreneurship and involve young people directly in our supply chain. It significantly strengthens the economic opportunities around the farm,” Haymanot explains.

The focus for this year

There is no sitting still this year either. The focus remains on further strengthening ongoing sustainability projects. Haymanot: “We are working hard to optimize our organic waste management and increase efficiency in our water consumption. Personally, this work is very rewarding. It goes beyond just ‘compliance’; we are creating real value for our colleagues and the environment. That gives my work a deeper meaning every single day.”