Under the motto ‘Gratitude that tastes good’, children and adults were able to experience regionality at the BILLA stands and learn interesting facts about local agriculture and sustainable food production in a playful way. The journey of the food from the field to the plate was made comprehensible.
As part of the festival programme, the numerous visitors had a wide range of activities to choose from, ranging from enjoying regional products to getting active themselves - such as sawing or milking. A special themed trail with 50 young agricultural scouts was organised for 600 Viennese schoolchildren to teach them about the value of agriculture and nutrition. Saturday ended with a festive stage programme with a beer tapping by Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, a visit by the Federal Minister for the Environment and Climate Protection, Leonore Gewessler, and interviews with the partners.
Marcel Haraszti, CEO of REWE International AG: ‘The ernte.dank.festival is a wonderful opportunity to emphasise the importance of regional products and sustainable agriculture. In this way, we can make a significant contribution to raising awareness for young and old alike.’ On Sunday, the 70th anniversary of the Austrian Rural Youth was celebrated during an anniversary mass in St Stephen's Cathedral with cathedral priest Toni Faber. The subsequent harvest thanksgiving procession to Heldenplatz with Federal Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, Norbert Totschnig, was the highlight at the end of the festival. BILLA was represented on site by the Management Board members Robert Nagele (Real Estate), Michael Paterno (Consumer), Brian Beck (Wholesale and Merchants), Erich Szuchy (Category Management / Purchasing) and Andreas Steidl (Managing Director Ja! Natürlich) as well as Marcel Haraszti (CEO REWE International AG).
