Kräutergarten Gachhof (Gachhof Herb Garden) is a training facility for budding herb farmers and enthusiasts alike. Part of its cultivation area also serves as a testing site for the Laimburg Research Centre. Older varieties are being brought back here while new ones undergo experimentation.

The thing that always stays the same, of course, is the natural growing methods. The herb experts at Gachhof pick their plants by hand and pay extra attention to ensuring careful and gentle processing. What’s more, the plants benefit substantially from the favourable location and its mild climate. All this enables Gachhof’s herbs and spices to bear the South Tyrolean seal of quality.

“What motivates us is passing on the knowledge we have gained about medicinal and aromatic plants, and how to cultivate them. We offer support and advice on growing herbs and will accompany a plant through its entire lifecycle, from sowing to finished product,” explains the Gachhof Operations Manager, Karin Thaler, as she describes her work.

By training prospective herb farmers, providing infrastructure for courses in herbs and supporting experiments in herb growing and product processing, Kräutergarten Gachhof plays a central role in preserving and developing traditional herbal knowledge in South Tyrol. Quality is the top priority here. “The herbal products need to be of outstanding quality to make them stand out against foreign imports,” says Karin Thaler. Careful, gentle cultivation, which best preserves the contents and colours of the plants, is the primary way to achieve this goal, and is something that Kräutergarten Gachhof continually strives to perfect.