For more than 30 years IGN has been a reliable partner in the brewing industry
An idea became established – the unsatisfactory market situation in 1986 caused some hop growers in Niederlauterbach not only to complain about the situation, but to think about what to do. On 11 March 1987, 18 active hop growers from Niederlauterbach founded the Interessengemeinschaft Qualitätshopfen Niederlauterbach (IGN) with the aim to offer special quality hops to the hop market.
Three years later, IGN Hopfenvermarktungs- und Vertriebs-GmbH was founded in August 1990.
Board of IGN in 1987
1. Board:
Georg Breitner
2. Board:
Max Weichenrieder
Treasurer:
Martin Kropfhäußer
Assessor:
Lorenz Reich
Assessor:
Josef Helmberger
Secretary:
Michael Haindl
With specially developed and imposed production rules, the IGN set new priorities in hop production:
- Annual N-min soil tests
- Every 4 years examinations on basic nutrients phosphate, potash lime and magnesium
- Annual hop spray check
- Leadership of at least 3 cards
- Introduction of the special ring care (the growers are visited 3 times in the growing season, whereby the hop stocks are inspected and the farmer is advised about upcoming plant protection, fertilization and cultivation measures)
- Introduction of the quality report for dried hops (at least three for each planter). Today: Plain quality findings by the laboratory AGROLAB
- Regular round tables with speakers
- Continuing education and training of the hop growers
These production rules, which still apply to every IGN member today, were then supplemented in 1990 with the introduction of the Neutral-controlled Contracts (KVA).
After more than 30 years, the number of active members of the syndicate has increased to just under 90. In order to guarantee supply security for our customers, these are distributed across the entire hop growing area in the Hallertau.
Many of today’s IGN customers are customers who have trusted the IGN principle for many years, some even since their founding.
