thanx to emotional-stuntman

It started with the green party's biggest achievement to date, the renewables energy act, or EEG, which was enacted by the Schröder and Fischer government, now adopted by 47 other nations. The results: 300.000 new jobs and the realization that green is more than technology, it's a lifestyle and the planet's biggest environmental challenge.

One of the biggest weaknesses in global sales for German products has been it's marketing. Usually it's the quality of the product that makes in roads, especially from an engineering perspective: Made in Germany sells and craftsmanship has a long heralded tradition. So if Germany can better market it's green image, we have a winner.

One of those products helping improve the green image is Bionade. As much as Coca Cola is about American can do capitalism, Bionade is about green quality capitalism. Produced with organic ingredients and sustainable processes that benefit local farmers, it has enjoyed a big success as a hipster drink in Europe. Now it plans to expand in the States, after it refused offers from Coke.

On his search for a production location, CEO Peter Kowalsky found a place where new meets old in the New World: the Amana Colonies, a settlement of German Pietists comprised of seven villages in the rich soil of east-central Iowa. They mostly lived a communal life and adhered to strict dining, dress and leisure codes. In the 20th century, especially since World War I and II, the German language lost considerable ground, as did identification with German culture. Today, Kowalsky is bringing back part of the culture, as well as jobs and lifestyle.

This is especially pertinent in a time when the Amana colonies increasingly rely on tourism as a source of income. With DSL lines and Chinese imports at Target, craftsmanship for double the price is a tough sell. And in times when the "outside" world seems more exciting, maybe Bionade can turn the outside in. Product launch is January 2008.