Active in our region

Not only are we dedicated to responsible tea cultivation in the countries of origin, but we also lend a hand in our own back yard. As a family business with strong roots in northern Germany, we are particularly committed to our home – the metropolitan region of Hamburg.

Our aspiration:

We want to be a good neighbour – help people, protect nature and contribute to a strong community. Based on this conviction, we support selected initiatives and run our own projects, some of which we describe here.

Spethmann Foundation: focusing on the individual

“Changing the world in small steps”– this was one of the founding philosophies for the Spethmann Foundation, which the owner family established. Since 2001, it has been dedicated to helping children, youth and the elderly and also supports people with disabilities.

LeA residential community as a flagship project

One flagship project of the foundation’s work is the LeA residential community in Neu Wulmsdorf, south of Hamburg. Its objective is to enable differently abled adolescents to live as independently as possible. The Laurens Spethmann Houses provide 27 young people with a home and a community. Projects such as this one receive annual support from the foundation of more than 100,000 euros.

We take great pleasure from the regular donations, small or large, made by our employees. This generosity is evidence that we are all on board when to help people in our region.

Zukunft durch Ausbildung (Education for the Future)

Our initiative “OTG Zukunft durch Ausbildung“ (“OTG Education for the Future”) paves the way for those young people who have difficulty getting established in the regular labour market. Completed vocational training is an essential step to leading a self-determined life. We have already enabled more than 200 young people to complete an apprenticeship, thereby imparting essential skills. Some of them have become trainers with us and pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation.

"Hamburg packt’s zusammen!" - For basic provisions during the pandemic

Whoever was already living in a precarious situation before corona struck has been particularly hard hit by its impacts. People living in and around Hamburg also need help to get through these difficult times. That is why we joined forces with 30 other companies from the Hamburg region to promote the initiative “Hamburg packt’s zusammen!” (“Hamburg packs together!”) With joint efforts, material resources and donations, bags are packed with products to meet people’s basic needs and distributed by charitable organisations to families with children, senior citizens, homeless people, refugees and students. The campaign has been effective: So far, more than 35,000 care package bags have reached many Hamburg residents.

A little piece of nature: there’s humming and buzzing at OnnO Behrends

Striped black and yellow and extremely industrious – in 2020, our first bee colony moved onto the OnnO Behrends property in East Frisia. Our 60,000 new co-workers have a rich selection of wild herbs and flowers on the meadow behind the production facility. That instils a desire for more: we are planning our next project featuring an insect hotel and a meadow with fruit trees. It is a small contribution to securing a valuable habitat for the endangered bees and making our direct surroundings a little livelier.