Today we have asked “Dorfkrug” – well-known for its unique salads and desserts.

They originally have started with their restaurant ZUM DORFKRUG from Thomas Hauschild and it has grown rapidly. The original SYLTER SALATFRISCHE is now an integral part of the large supermarket chains, and there is also an online shop and a farm. But the roots are not forgotten: The popular restaurant ZUM DORFKRUG opens daily for guests from Hamburg and the surrounding area.

Questions to Sven Schieseck, Head of the Online shop www.zum-dorfkrug-shop.de:

• With your farmyard, which is, according to the website, “a counter-project to industrial agriculture and mass farming”, a sign of sustainable management is set. Is it possible to implement such a concept also in the online trade? If yes how?
• Sustainability can be expressed in many different facets. For example, we have set our minimum order value at EUR 25 because it is not ecologically reasonable to send products worth EUR 5 in our opinion. In addition, we have thought about the shipping packaging and have come to a sustainable solution: The Landbox made of straw and our reusable Kühlakkus. The products are well protected and our customers are positively surprised, as the many feedbacks show. Ultimately, of course, our products are convincing by their sustainability.

• Your SYLTER SALATFRISCHE, as well as the many other salads dressings and desserts can be purchased both in large national supermarket chains as well as online. Where do you see the biggest differences between the two sales channels? What are the advantages and disadvantages of online trading?
• The obvious advantage for customers is, of course, that they do not have to go to the supermarket, wait at the cash queue and carry their purchase painfully home. Their order is comfortably delivered. Not in every supermarket are the ZUM DORFKRUG products available, yet they are in our online shop all over Germany. Another great advantage for us is that we can include new products in the online shop and receive the feedback from our customers directly. This direct link to the customer opens up new insights on how to make our products even better. In terms of availability, the online trade still follows conventional purchasing. The purchased goods are not immediately available on the spot as it is after the purchase in the supermarket. Here, the logistics behind the online business must become even faster and more flexible.

• The customer feedback on your “Trusted Shops” page is overwhelming. What makes your online shop so special and customer-friendly?
• It starts with the user-friendly menu navigation on our side, our fast and professional customer service, and the positive first impression when unpacking the straw packaging. A positive customer experience suitable to the brand is very important to us and is reflected in the positive reviews. We are very proud of this customer feedback and at the same time very grateful for it. It encourages us to continue to follow this path so consistently.

• The e-food market in Germany is still at the very beginning with a market share of less than one percent. In Great Britain, it is already five percent. What is the reason? Are the Germans particularly critical in your experience?
• As already mentioned, there is at present still a disadvantage in the availability in the online trade, in particular in the e-food market. We are talking about the development potential of the infrastructure and the logistics behind the shops. This will change rapidly in the next few years and in a few years, it will be self-evident to order the food online. Customers in Germany often claim that everything must work perfectly and that they should not be restricted in any way. At least this partly explains the low percentage in Germany. Another aspect is the acceptance of something new. Very young customer groups are basically very online-affine. This openness decreases with age in Germany. So, many customers are initially skeptical and it takes longer for new things to be accepted. Our particular challenge is the shipping of refrigerated products and that this works, we must and must prove it to our customers first.

• One thing does not seem to exist in your house: boredom. Especially in the past ten years, various stands have developed for ZUM DORFKRUG with stationary trade, a traditional restaurant, the own farmyard and also your online shop. What’s next?
• There are a lot of plans and ideas that make our company and our products more sustainable and innovative – always with regard to best quality. In the future, too, we will be closely aligned with the changing needs of our customers in order to generate added value in the stressful everyday life. These include, for example, time, because spending time with family and friends is nowadays a valuable asset.

The team from Landpack thanks for the conversation!