For two decades, Martina Hörmer has shaped organic and the brand Ja! Natürlich, which is inseparably linked to it in Austria. A central claim of Ja! Natürlich - the best-known organic brand in the country - has always been to combine culinary delights and responsibility in daily consumption - high-quality food from organic farming should not be a rare speciality for a small circle but should be made widely known and accessible to society at large. "For me, Ja! Natürlich means "enjoyment with responsibility" - this responsibility includes people, animals and the environment and focuses on the natural cycle of healthy agriculture," says Martina Hörmer about the fundamental brand values that are reflected in the high quality standards.
The fight against plastic, the removal of palm oil from all Ja!Natürlich products or the ban on killing male chicks in egg production, which eventually led to an Austrian industry solution, are just a few milestones of her extraordinary career. "Martina Hörmer has played a decisive role in shaping organic farming in Austria and has made organic food socially acceptable, so to speak. In her work, one could always see the great personal interest and concern to value nature and all living beings and to create healthy biological cycles in order to keep nature healthy", said Marcel Haraszti, REWE International AG Executive Board Member.
In recent months, Martina Hörmer has accompanied the transition of the private labels at BILLA MERKUR Austria (BMÖ) to the board responsibilities of Elke Wilgmann (BMÖ Consumer CEO) and Erich Szuchy (BMÖ Category Management/Purchasing CEO) and represented the Ja! Natürlich brand to the outside world in her function as brand ambassador. In addition to Andreas Steidl, Klaudia Atzmüller has taken over the management of Ja! Natürlich GmbH in 2020. She is in charge of strategy and marketing of the own brands and reports to Elke Wilgmann. Andreas Steidl is responsible for raw material procurement and the organic sector in the category management and purchasing department and reports to Erich Szuchy.
Their remarkable commitment has been particularly appreciated through numerous awards. The award of the Golden Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria by the Federal President was a highlight in 2020. Over the course of more than 18 years, Martina Hörmer has also received countless advertising awards - first and foremost for the Ja! Natürlich advertising with the popular little pig and his farmer, one of the most successful advertising campaigns in the country. Named "Marketer of the Year" by the IAA in 2008, she was also the first woman to hold the position of President of the International Advertising Association (IAA) from 2011 to 2014 - and is still Chair of the IAA Advisory Board and on the Advisory Board of the Vier Pfoten International Private Foundation. In addition, Martina Hörmer took over the presidency of the Association of Friends of the Hohe Tauern National Park in 2018.
In the course of her career within REWE Group Austria, she has been responsible for private labels such as clever or Chef Menü (Chef Menu) and founded other successful private labels such as Hofstädter, Da komm' ich her! (That's where I'm from), Simply Good, Vegavita and die Wunderlinge.
