In 1993, a study by the Federal Office for the Environment classified Swiss gardens as “overfertilized,” causing the market to collapse once again. Against this backdrop, Geistlich decided to take a decisive step: The fertilizer division is sold to the company Hauert. For Philipp Hauert, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the family-owned company, this moment was more than just a business transaction: “It was clear to us: Geistlich Fertilizers stands for tradition, quality, and trust. Continuing this legacy was not only an opportunity but an obligation to Swiss horticulture.”
The sale marks the end of an era and, at the same time, the beginning of a new one. For while the traditional industrial business is coming under pressure, a future-oriented sector is emerging that will shape the company in the long term: biomaterials. In 1994, Geistlich was awarded the Innovation Prize by the Central Switzerland Chamber of Commerce for the natural bone substitute material Geistlich Bio-Oss®. An early sign of the strategic realignment toward specialized, technological, and medical products. In the past, Geistlich products were made from bone; today they are produced using advanced technology, whereas back then it was all done by hand.
