Erich Stekovics agricultural holding is based on the diversity of species. He concentrates on the cultivation of tomatoes and cultivates old breeds. Every year some 1000 different varieties of tomatoes flourish in his fields. He possesses the world's largest collection of seeds with over 3200 different kind of tomatoes, and fruits of all imaginable colors, forms and sizes. He also cultivates chili, cucumber, strawberries, apricots and garlic. Stekovics works with complex crop rotations.
His fields are located near the lake of Neusiedeln. Because of the mild climate and about 300 sunny days per year, Stekovics uses drought-resistant crops. He does not irrigate, stake, strut nor spray his plants - rather, he is growing them in their natural way. Besides his family, 8 more employees work on the farm. Between July and September, daily guided tours are offered on the farm. Stekovics advocates for a valorization of food that focusses on taste and quality.
«There are over 300'000 different tomato sorts in the world, and in Europe only 5 hybrids are sold. For me, this is a scandal. I believe that the consumer isn't even aware of the power he has. It's he who decides what gets onto the market. If the consumer only once said that he doesn't want to eat these tomatoes because they taste like water and then refused to buy them for only one weekend, a week later we would have other tomatoes, of that I am convinced.»
