Sustainable trips with the MAN eTGE
Sophie and Marie Merg love nature and want to live in harmony with it. Their fully electric MAN eTGE that they use to take the products from their fruit farm to their customers sustainably and with zero emissions helps them to do just that.
We really love the country, this is where we grew up and this is where we want to stay is what it says on the Merg GmbH & Co. KG fruit processing website. To help make sure that living in nature can remain a wonderful experience, the small family company, which produces juices, syrups, jellies and jams, fruit wines, secco and vinegars, does everything it can to protect and preserve the natural world. As well as using exclusively fruits from their region, some of them from the family’s own meadow orchards, and using returnable glass instead of plastic, this includes a fully electric MAN eTGE, which delivers products in the area close to where Merg are based. Emission-free and in harmony with nature – the electric van is charged exclusively using solar energy from the company’s own photovoltaic plant. “Once you have internalised the issue of sustainability, it’s not difficult to remain on that path”, says Marie Merg, who joined her parents’ company along with her sister Sophie. The pair previously began careers in other areas, but they both returned to fruit.
The issues of nature and sustainability always played an important role in the life of the family, which had an agricultural background. “Our parents always taught us all about nature, what to pay attention to so that people, animals and the environment can live in harmony – it has been part of our lives since we were very young”, says Sophie. That is why they try to make their small company as environmentally friendly as possible. Only fruits from the region end up in Merg products. They are put exclusively into returnable glass bottles, which can be washed and reused up to 60 times. The fully electric MAN van is their way of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. “A customer told my father than MAN was releasing a fully electric van and our ears pricked up immediately”, Marie recalls. Soon afterwards, the Mergs got a test vehicle and discovered the electric van’s qualities for themselves. “We loved how quietly it ran”, says Marie, “And we decided to buy the MAN eTGE within a week.”
“Driving is very relaxing and stress-free”, says Sophie, who especially appreciates the quiet operation of the MAN eTGE. It’s something that her sister Marie also enjoys. But she also likes the power that the little Lion can deliver:
“You have the power you need right there and you don’t notice the weight you have behind you.”
And true to the sisters’ nature-friendly lifestyle, the MAN van only consumes electrically they produce themselves. “All you need is the sun on the roof and away you go.” The fact that maintenance and repair costs are close to zero is another positive point for the sisters.
Sophie and Marie are committed environmentalists, but have noticed a general increase in awareness of the issue around them. “People often ask us about our electric MAN and you notice that some of them understand right away”, says a delighted Sophie. The sisters’ aim is to keep on doing what they have done so far. They want to retain the same sized business, as the issue of sustainability becomes increasingly difficult as a company grows. When it comes to choosing the right vehicle for their business, they have already found the answer. The MAN eTGE fits in perfectly with the fruit processing company’s philosophy, and the Mergs would not hesitate to choose the electric van again.