Careful – right from the start

The purchasing department at Kirchner, Fischer & Co. is very busy all year round. Darjeeling first flush, Assam second flush, Japanese green tea, honeybush in South Africa – for botanical and geographical reasons, a new harvest season for excellent teas, herbs or fruits is always just beginning somewhere in the world.
To ensure that you can always rely on the highest quality, we do everything we can every day to select and process the appropriate raw materials from the respective origins. And we do this according to a strict procedure …

It all starts with pre-selection: The privilege of top-quality goods thanks to proven partnerships

We source our raw materials for tea and tea-like products from Germany, the European Union, Asia and overseas. We have maintained a trusting relationship with most of our production and supply companies, which can be found in over 80 countries worldwide, for decades. Many tea gardens, plantations and farms are regularly visited by us and approved/audited.

Regular on-site inspections – and maximum control in Elmshorn

Of course, we can’t be everywhere in the world at the same time and it wouldn’t always make economic sense to check every single item on site before shipping. That’s why we use our wealth of experience to establish a multi-stage inspection system to put the raw materials through their paces. You can see step by step how all the food products we buy go through this process – for maximum product safety.

You can also find the latest information on our certificates in the
Quality: ˃˃˃ www.kirchner-fischer.de/quality …

The purchasing process
at Kirchner, Fischer & Co

1. Rough selection: Is there a current demand?
Every day we receive a large number of samples of a wide variety of products. Depending on stock levels and demand, we determine on a daily basis whether we want to purchase the raw material in question or whether we already have sufficient stocks.

2. Expertise: How does our tea taster team judge?
Three grams of tea: this small sample quantity is enough to convince our experienced tea tasters of the quality – or to recognise defects in the product. In addition to the visual inspection, the tea infusion is tasted according to strict rules – such as a brewing time of exactly five minutes.

3. External laboratory: What does the independent analysis show?
An independent external commercial laboratory regularly analyses the samples on offer. In order to guarantee food safety, the goods on offer are currently tested for almost 500 substances. These include analyses for pesticides, heavy metals, microbiology and radioactivity.

4. Second tasting: Will delivery take place?
Once the purchase sample has been approved, we draw up a purchase contract. In this contract, our suppliers undertake to have produced the goods in accordance with our specifications, to continue to handle them in accordance with the specifications and to ship them. In the next step, we receive an accepted, signed purchase contract and a shipping/approval sample as confirmation. The decisive factor is that the goods can only be dispatched once our quality assurance department has also approved this sample!

5. second tasting: Will delivery take place?
Once the purchase sample has been approved, we draw up a purchase contract. In this contract, our suppliers undertake to have produced the goods in accordance with our specifications, to continue to handle them in accordance with the specifications and to ship them. In the next step, we receive an accepted, signed purchase contract and a shipping/approval sample as confirmation. The decisive factor is that the goods can only be dispatched once our quality assurance department has also approved this sample!

Trust, control and transparency – for the best possible food quality

At Kirchner, Fischer & Co, we have always attached great importance to supporting the entire purchasing, storage, cleaning, mixing and packaging process with a highly developed, modern merchandise management system. This not only ensures a consistently high quality of supply, but also transparency and efficiency.

• Transparency means that we record every item-relevant piece of information – it can be viewed and utilised at any workstation at any time. We supplement this data at every work step in order to optimally label and track the goods in the flow of goods.

• Efficiency means avoiding unnecessary data entry work so that we don’t lose any time during dispatch and processing. At the same time, we use the existing information density to prevent major defects in the overall process.

Your benefit: Our meticulous approach enables us to deliver high quality in a short time at an excellent price-performance ratio.

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Everyday life at Kirchner, Fischer & Co

Full concentration: countless decisions are made every day in our rehearsal room with original furnishings from Hamburg’s Speicherstadt warehouse district – in the peak season between May and July, up to 600 cups of tea are tasted per person per day.

Would you like to see Hamburg originals at work?
Come and visit us!

Looking ahead – from the cutting edge

Anyone who has been trading in tea since 1793 likes to look back on enduring traditions. At Kirchner, Fischer & Co, we prefer to look ahead and ask ourselves: ‘How will tomorrow’s successful tea business work?’.

Experience, ideas and high standards result in first-class services

The good thing for you: our experience, which has grown over the centuries, as well as our eternal curiosity and unquenchable love of tea ensure that you can offer your customers the highest level of enjoyment every day – reliable, fast and varied.

Save time and money – from production to delivery

What does experience teach us? That there is hardly a task at Kirchner, Fischer & Co that we have not solved before. And that you don’t have to go through unpleasant experiences a second time.

In addition, we are constantly gaining new insights into products and trends as well as economic development and marketing in over 70 countries worldwide through our daily dialogue with our customers and suppliers around the globe.

Based on this knowledge, we offer you a wide range of services that allow you to better utilise your valuable time, concentration and money for daily processes or strategic decisions:

Production-related services

• Large selection of standard teas and individual recipes
Choose from over 600 catalogue teas: We supply both standard teas and teas according to specified recipes.
˃˃˃ More information at: Mount Everest Tea/shop …

• Compositions: improving your own recipes
Would you like to replace or optimise ingredients in existing recipes? No problem! Our Tea-Taster team will find modern solutions according to your ideas. Our portfolio of more than 11,000 blends provides a broad basis for many other ideas.
˃˃˃ More about this under: Origin & Purchasing …

• “Homemade”: Developing blends according to customer requirements
Would you like your own “signature” drink? Whether in the BtoC business, in the HoReCa segment or completely without any food reference – we develop unique blends and recipes for your company. In doing so, we take into account all available products – from tea to flavourings, fruits and herbs to other ingredients.
˃˃˃ More on this can be found at: Performance …

• Private label: holistic tea concepts in 10 days!
From product development to the appropriate depth of product range to the selection of packaging form and layout, we supply everything from a single source. How fast? Depending on the scope, you will have the ready-to-sell product on the shelf after a maximum of four weeks. Or pass it on to your customers with pleasure – e.g. as a tasteful incentive!
˃˃˃ More on this can be found at: Packaging …

• Innovations: new food components and packaging technologies
“Can you drink that too?” Shiitake mushroom or hemp, tea-based cocktails or bubble tea, packaged in grass paper or in compostable foil – with a shrewd view of the bigger picture, we are constantly tracking down new food components and packaging technologies. In doing so, we conscientiously ensure that our discoveries are always in line with current food legislation and the Novel Food Regulation.
˃˃˃ More on this can be found at: Quality …

Services relating to trade, logistics and operations

A fixed contact for you!
If you do not explain at length, but commission directly, then this is certainly due to our personal support: Because at Kirchner, Fischer & Co, you will be looked after by a fixed gender neutral preferred in all phases of our cooperation. Your individual requirements and processes are therefore well known – and you will receive your goods all the more smoothly.

Fast and safe border traffic!
Unnecessary waiting times at the border? They don’t have to be! A large part of our deliveries take place from/to third countries outside the European Union. Every day, we have goods loaded in various destinations around the world – we are accordingly up-to-date on customs duties, regulations and bottlenecks. In addition, there is our many years of experience, thanks to which we largely avoid costly waiting times. Your goods will be ready for sale as soon as possible!

Accessories – for tea enjoyment immediately!
How often are the little things that bring a deal to a perfect conclusion? That’s why, in addition to excellent loose-leaf teas, you will find everything that tea drinkers need to prepare them: high-quality filters and sieves, cast-iron teapots and noble cups made of porcelain or glass, as well as packaging from bags to cans. Selected with a keen sense for trends and durability – at an excellent price-performance ratio!
˃˃˃ Order now: mount-everest-tea.com/sortiment

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Everyday life at Kirchner, Fischer & Co

A tea like a poem? Our Tea Tasters have already created blends inspired by the poetry
of the 18th century. Or remind you of grandmother’s garden. Or have been awarded two
stars by the Brussels-based International Taste Institute – such as “Berry Gang”.

Would you like to taste inimitable teas and blends?
Feel free to visit us!