Alfred Vogel's way of working
One could say Alfred Vogel was ahead of his time. His vision of a healthy life is more relevant than ever. People increasingly want to know what they eat and what they swallow. Alfred Vogel was aware of this decades ago. Early on, he made herbal remedies for himself and his patients in his own laboratory, using the purest plants, cultivated with care and attention. And he travelled the world in search of new, useful plants that he did not yet know. Alfred Vogel learned about Echinacea purpurea from the Indians in North America. The "purple coneflower", as it is commonly called, grew there under perfect conditions in untouched nature. Native Americans chewed the leaves of the plant and applied the substance to the skin to aid the body's ability to regenerate. This showed Alfred Vogel the resistance-enhancing properties of Echinacea purpurea.
Today, many people around the world appreciate the power of echinacea. Making remedies from it by hand, as Alfred Vogel did, is of course no longer possible due to the enormous demand. But at A.Vogel, we strive to replicate our company founder's way of working to the best of our ability - complemented by today's modern technologies.
Own plant seeds
We extract the seeds of Echinacea purpurea ourselves. A number of Echinacea plants are selected as mother plants for this purpose. This way we are sure that we only work with the best material.
A good choice of location
At A.Vogel plants always get the place where they thrive best. Simply because only under these conditions do the plants have the chance to produce the highest possible amount of active ingredients required for a good end product. Echinacea purpurea, for example, is a rather difficult plant to grow. It mainly needs warmth; however, the location should also not be in the sun all day. The plant likes morning sun, but prefers some shade in the afternoon. Nutrient-rich soil and a little water from time to time are also essential. And every now and then the plant must move to another place, because if it grew in the same place for more than three years, the nutrient content of the soil is no longer optimal. Then we resettle the plants and give the "old" soil new fertility with compost and cow manure. By means of green manuring we give the soil additional nourishment.
So giving a plant the location it needs is a task that should not be underestimated. And we're only talking about location here - the care requires just as much precision.
Ecological way of working: better for all
At A.Vogel we rely on "pure nature" so that the active ingredients contained in the plants are fully effective. That is why the entire cultivation process, from sowing to harvesting, is completely organic (with EKO quality mark), i.e., without fertilisers and chemical pesticides. Furthermore, it is important for A.Vogel to treat nature responsibly, not to damage it and not to exploit resources.
Right harvest times
Many years of experience, research and knowledge of the literature are the guiding principles for determining the optimal harvest time for each crop. This harvesting moment must be calculated precisely, as the active ingredient content fluctuates during growth. Harvesting too early or too late can render the yield unusable. The active ingredients of a plant are at their peak at some point - but when exactly? We don't necessarily know that in advance. After all, nature cannot be regulated. And that is why, during the weeks around the harvest of Echinacea purpurea (and any of our plants), samples may be taken daily from the plant to check whether the active ingredients have already reached their peak. This is often early in the morning. Machines that emit as little CO2 as possible cut the plants gently and without contact with the ground.
Fresh processing
Everything we harvest is processed fresh. We know that this is the only way to preserve the active ingredients of the plants. Immediately after harvesting, we transport the harvested plants to the factory and there they are processed within two hours after harvesting. It cannot be fresher than this!
Strictly controlled production
In the high season we can easily process 6,000 kilograms of plants per day in the Netherlands, including Echinacea purpurea. Once Echinacea purpurea arrives at the cutting room, it is first cut and mixed with alcohol and water. This mixture is stored in a container for at least ten days so that the plant releases the active ingredients into the liquid. We then separate plant residues and liquid from each other. The liquid is now called tincture and contains all the active ingredients of the plant. Echinaforce is produced on the basis of this tincture.
The entire production process at A.Vogel follows internationally recognised pharmaceutical standards (GMP standards): All steps of the production process are recorded in protocols and described in procedures. In addition, strict rules on the hygiene of people, machines, raw materials, materials and production areas apply to the entire process. And last but not least, the entire process is under the strict supervision of the pharmacist. How many A.Vogel products are produced per day