Quality inspections

First quality inspection: WIBERG Team Inspiration

Pure, intense flavour and smell, natural colour, purity and cut size are the decisive quality characteristics in any sensory assessment carried out by WIBERG's Team Inspiration. Four professional chefs with many years of experience, plus a sophisticated sense of taste, assess all products from the user's point of view, with the aim of acquiring the best available quality on the market.

"Herbs and spices take up only about 1% of the value of goods in any kitchen, but they are key factors in determining whether food tastes good or not. It is our aim to obtain for our customers herbs and spices of the very best available quality. We assess WIBERG products by the following criteria: Appearance, smell, taste, colour and purity. Often the aromas do not emerge until they are cooked and combined with water and oil; that is why we cook with the products and then assess them from the customer's point of view." Alois Gasser from WIBERG's Team Inspiration.

Second quality inspection: Laboratory

Many spices come from tropical or sub-tropical parts of the world. The hot and humid climate and the very often rather basic production, storage and transport facilities can always increase the risk of some microbiological "impurity". That is why raw materials are subjected to a systematic quality inspection as soon as they arrive.

Some 20 staff work in our goods-in department and laboratory, checking on hygiene, on purity and on the quality of the prized ingredients. At the first stage, we must investigate general quality parameters such as hygiene and residual moisture. Such adverse conditions can crucially influence the shelf life of the raw material. Secondly, we must ensure that certain substances, residues or micro-organisms will not adversely affect quality. Thirdly, the precious, natural ingredients, such as essential oils or piquancy components, e.g. piperine in pepper, are analysed. Many raw materials, such as pepper, must undergo 20 different analyses, before they can be released for production.