Our members improve the climate with plants and trees, supply us with healthy fruits and vegetables and make rooms and cities more beautiful, adding to the quality of life. We are a reliable insurance partner, always at your side, protecting the entire value chain of the horticultural business. With knowledge, values and passion.
Keeping you happy, keeping you safe.
We are the green specialist insurer for European horticulture.
Partnership is the future.
Growing and thriving together.
More than 14,000 member businesses from 9 countries have entrusted material assets and insured yields for a total of over 60 billion euros to Gartenbau-Versicherung. And with good reason: because as an independent mutual insurance company, our objective is not to make huge profits, but to provide maximum security and satisfaction. For our members as well as for our employees and each and every one of the partners of our strong network.
Responsibility, transparency and sustainability characterize our business policy. Our long history means that we are deeply rooted in horticulture and continue to grow as a strong, unifying force for the green industry in Europe.
Our vision: To create long-term collaborative relationships with our members by providing tailor-made security solutions, outstanding service and constant communication. We achieve this through our unique expertise in horticultural risk management, intelligent networking of personal and digital services, meaningful collaborations and by involving members in key decisions. This last point is exemplified in particular by our elected supervisory board members and member representatives, as well as our volunteer claims experts, who ensure fair and competent assessments.
124
Employees
9
Countries
14300
Members
68
Insured assets (EUR)
Strong values for strong members.
Because security is a matter of trust.
Responsibility
As a specialist insurer and market leader, we bear a high level of responsibility for the green industry. We strive to reliably be the best security service provider for all our members – especially when it matters most.
Transparency
We make risks visible – and therefore security feasible. Because we show our members effective risk management tools. We also create transparency about our services and processes, decisions and goals.
Sustainability
We contribute to the transformation of horticulture, the economy and society in an ecologically, economically and socially responsible way. Sustainability has been a fundamental value throughout our more than 175-year history.
Gartenbau-Versicherung’s boards.
Committed to working together to navigate the company and its members safely into the future.
As the operational body of the mutual insurance company, the Board of Directors is responsible for managing the business of Gartenbau-Versicherung. The top management is therefore instrumental in supporting the development of Gartenbau-Versicherung, is responsible for the entire risk management and is the primary public representative of the insurance company.
Christian Senft
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Christian Senft has been the chairman of the board of Gartenbau-Versicherung since August 2022. His responsibilities include insurance operations, marketing and collaborative projects. Christian Senft joined the company in 2008 as an assistant to the Board of Directors, was made authorized signatory for Southern Europe in 2013, and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2016. A Master of Science, he studied horticulture at the Technical University of Munich (Weihenstephan) and at the Università di Bologna in Italy.
Dr. Dietmar Kohlruss was appointed to the Board of Directors of Gartenbau-Versicherung in 2019. Previously, he held the position of managing director of an actuarial consulting firm for property/casualty and accident insurers. With a doctorate in mathematics, his areas of focus include accounting and finance, actuarial mathematics and reinsurance as well as human resources.
Dr. Dietmar Kohlruss
Member of the Board of Directors
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The Supervisory Board consists of nine persons elected by the General Assembly of Member Representatives. The term of office is three years, re-election is permitted. The duties of the Supervisory Board include overseeing the management of the company, auditing the annual financial statements, and appointing and employing the members of the Board of Directors.
Frank Werner
Horticulture entrepreneur Frank Werner has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2007 and has held the position of Chairman since 2017. He and his brother Ralf are the fourth generation to run the production company for flowers and ornamental plants Werner & Werner – Mein kleiner Garten in the Cologne-Bonn area. Frank Werner is also chairman of the Bundesverband Zierpflanzen (German Ornamental Plants Association).
The Berchtenbreiter family business has been in operation for over 130 years. Hermann Berchtenbreiter has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Gartenbau-Versicherung since 2008 and is active as the President of Bayerischer Gärtnerei-Verband e.V. (Bavarian Gardeners’ Association).
Hermann Berchtenbreiter
Ute Martin
Ute Martin has been running the family business Kinnemann & Martin together with her husband since 1992. In the same year, she became a member of the Supervisory Board of Gartenbau-Versicherung and remains a member to this day.
Hanspeter Meyer’s Schweizer Meyer Orchideen AG produces 400,000 orchids in many exclusive varieties. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2009.
Hanspeter Meyer
Tobias Müller
Tobias Müller, an economist and insurance specialist, was elected to the Supervisory Board in 2021. He is familiar with the company through his consulting activities and contributes in-depth knowledge of the insurance industry.
Joachim Jeß dedicated himself to Gartenbau-Versicherung on a voluntary basis for more than 40 years, twelve years of which as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. In recognition of his services, he was awarded the Gartenbau-Versicherung badge of honor and appointed an honorary member of the Supervisory Board.
Joachim Jeß
Lothar Dahs
As the longest-serving member, Lothar Dahs has been on the Supervisory Board since 1990, and has been Vice Chairman since 2007. The owner of Jüngsfelder Qualitätsbaumschulen Heinrich Dahs & Co is an honorary member of the Board of Directors of Baumschulverband NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia Tree Nursery Association) in the Association of German Tree Nurseries.
Jens Schachtschneider was elected to the Supervisory Board in 2016. In the perennial nursery he runs with his sons, about 2,000 species and varieties are cultivated in various pot sizes.
Jens Schachtschneider
Beate Schönges
Sustainability plays a major role for horticultural entrepreneur Beate Schönges and her ornamental plant business Schönges GbR, which she runs together with her husband. Beate Schönges has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2020.
The Umbach nursery specializes in potted plants and potted perennials, as well as special varieties and sizes. In his search for new types of plants, Supervisory Board member Klaus Umbach discovered the goji berry a few years ago. He has been active on the Supervisory Board since 2000.
Klaus Umbach
The General Assembly of Member Representatives is the supreme body of a mutual insurance company, which is the corporate form of Gartenbau-Versicherung. Once a year, the elected member representatives meet under the leadership of the Chairman of the Supervisory Board to reach decisions on fundamental issues of corporate policy. The General Assembly of Member Representatives is made up of forty member representatives from different regions of the company’s business area. Each member representative additionally has an elected deputy.
| Member representatives | Location | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Inga Balke | Nützen | Jessica Mayer, Lauffen/Neckar |
| Andreas Beier | Mannheim | Stephan Sinn, Lustadt |
| Wilhelm Böck | Neufarn | Andreas Evers, Munich |
| Gerard de Regt | Westerstede | Carolin Melle, Ganderkesee |
| Hans Fleischle | Murr | Werner Metzger, Schönaich |
| Bernd Freese | Großefehn | Steffi Rogge, Westoverledingen |
| Jan Gärtner | Drebach | Thomas Rost, Dresden |
| Pierre Goby | F-Holling | Andreas Huben, Ladenburg |
| Hartmut Goldschmidt | Güsten | Gerhard Langenberg, Alsleben |
| Jochen Engelhard | Alzenau | Uwe Schmidt, Hessisch Lichtenau |
| Gert Höfer | Dresden | Heidi Landmann, Ebersbach |
| Franz-Josef Hoffacker | Wesel | Hubert Brandkamp, Isselburg |
| Josef Hoffmann | Wachtendonk | Matthias Draek, Straelen |
| Bernd Hubert | Emskirchen | Anja Gessnitzer, Wilhermsdorf |
| Gerhard Kiemle | Bietigheim-Bissingen | Heiko Hagdorn, Eberdingen |
| Andreas Knaup | Röthlein | André Busigel, Albertshofen |
| Karl Lampert | Geiselhöring | Martin Wagle, Pfarrkirchen |
| Heinz Markl | Tuntenhausen | Heinrich Zitzelsberger jun., Ingolstadt |
| Jürgen Mertz | Hadamar | Ute Gorges, Babenhausen |
| Frank Mildenberger | Germersheim | Thomas Hohn, Hornbach |
| Daniel Moll | Leinfelden-Echterdingen | Jörg Vatter, Bempflingen |
| Christoph Nagelschmitz | Wesseling | Josef Engels, Pulheim |
| Robert Pake | Bad Harzburg | Johannes Schmidt, Königslutter |
| Marc Peters | Kranenburg | Michael Hannen, Kleve |
| Thomas Psenner | I-Bozen | Andreas von Danwitz, Tönisvorst |
| Andreas Rathenow | Großbeeren | André Krötz, Oberkrämer |
| Karl Rehner | Bad Kreuznach | Helmut Koch, Kaiserslautern |
| Manfred Rieke | Recke | Kurt Dominik, Hörstel |
| Andreas Rombach | Glottertal | Franc Gerloff, Gernsbach |
| Herbert Runge | Torgelow | Thomas Heinemann, Rostock |
| Johannes Scheffler | Opfenbach | Willy Enßlin, Nördlingen |
| Maria Schlieker | Billerbeck | Hubert Schräder, Greven |
| Christoph Schönges | Korschenbroich | Stefan Bongartz, Mönchengladbach |
| Olaf Schröpfer | Erfurt | Christiane Bielefeld-Remde, Weimar |
| Klaus Schürg | Wissen | Peter Hallen, Erkelenz |
| Philipp Schwab | Ingolstadt | Johannes Schmitt, Poxdorf |
| Konrad Schwarz | Bornheim | Volker Janssen, Viersen |
| Max Schwarz-Zurkinden | CH-Villigen | Nicolas Desarzens, CH-Pomy |
| Rolf Stengel | Balingen | Dieter Schweizer, Filderstadt |
| Felix Trauth | Karlsruhe | Hans Keller, Malterdingen |
Our members are what make us special.
As a mutual insurance company, the community is our greatest strength.
Baumschule Wilhelm Ley GmbH
Meckenheim, Germany
What began in 1891 on half a hectare of farmland has developed over the decades into one of Europe’s leading tree nurseries. Baumschule Wilhelm Ley now cultivates a wide range of varieties on over 500 hectares of loess-loam soil.
Wans Roses
Straelen, Germany
Wans Roses has been growing roses since 1975 and is now managed by the third generation of the family. Managing director Christian Wans talks about his work, current challenges and the cooperation with Gartenbau-Versicherung.
Steinegger GARTENPARK GBR
Rheinfelden, Germany
The family business Steinegger Baumschulen GbR was founded in 1975. Over the years, they developed a container tree nursery with a total area of around 7 hectares. At Steinegger Gartenpark plant centre you will find garden plants in pots, most of them home-grown.
Sulzer Rosen
Sinzheim, Germany
The family-run nursery is located in the foothills of the Black Forest. It specializes in the production of cut roses and potted roses. The range includes over 100 varieties, from ground cover plants to pyramids and short or standard stemmed roses to large iron trellises.
Bioland Kräutergut
Nürnberg / Kraftshof, Germany
Bioland KräuterGut has been operating the farm since 1928, now managed by the fifth generation of the family. Read on to find out more about Bioland KräuterGut and the managing director Tanja Dworschak-Fleischmann.
Janßen Group
Kevelaer, Germany
The Janßen Group GmbH & Co. KG is a medium-sized family business that specializes in the production of pot plants such as Calluna vulgaris of the Beauty Ladies® brand, lavender, Erica carnea and Erica ventricosa.
Staudengärtnerei Moll
Echterdingen, Germany
The Moll perennial nursery is located south of Stuttgart on the outskirts of Echterdingen. On 4.5 hectares, the Moll family and their team produce a wide range of hardy perennials and ground cover plants for end consumers, gardening and landscaping businesses and tree nurseries.
Gärtnerei Wolter GbR
Babenhausen, Germany
Gärtnerei Wolter produces excellent quality for specialized shops, garden centers and cemetery nurseries. Most of the production is made to order in advance. Deliveries are mainly made to the Rhine-Main region and extend to an area of up to 200 km around the nursery.
Our service portfolio designed to keep you safe.
Because your risks are our core competence.
Tailor-made
You want neither too much nor too little protection? Our risk consultants offer customized advice and protection packages. You decide.
Reliable
You need to be able to rely on your partner when it counts. When things don’t go as planned, you can rely on us. Unbureaucratic, prompt and personal.
End-to-end services
Our insurance coverage is only part of the services we offer: With comprehensive advice and information, we also provide you with preventative support for risk management.
Stronger together.
Together with our partners we make an excellent team.
Two insurance companies – one solution.
Benefit from insurance coverage from the AGRORISK® Group.
For more than 25 years, the two independent German insurance companies Vereinigte Hagelversicherung and Gartenbau-Versicherung have complemented each other within the AGRORISK® Group: Vereinigte Hagel as an insurance partner for agricultural crops production and Gartenbau-Versicherung as a specialist insurer for European horticulture in greenhouses and open-field crops. Insurance solutions are also developed collaboratively. Both cooperating partners market their products in Europe under the AGRORISK® brand: https://www.agrorisk.de/
Facts, figures, data.
If you want to know more – discover important details in our annual and risk reports.
SFCR reports
- Solvency and Financial Condition Report (SFCR) of the Switzerland Subsidiary 2023
- Solvency and Financial Condition Report (SFCR) 2023
- Solvency and Financial Condition Report (SFCR) 2022
- Solvency and Financial Condition Report (SFCR) of the Switzerland Subsidiary 2022
- Solvency and Financial Condition Report (SFCR) 2021
- Solvency and Financial Condition Report (SFCR) of the Switzerland Subsidiary 2021
Which countries does Gartenbau-Versicherung operate in?
Gartenbau-Versicherung currently operates in 9 countries. In addition to its domestic market in Germany, it also provides protection for operations in Italy, France and the Netherlands, as well as in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Greece, Belgium and Poland.
What are Gartenbau-Versicherung's core competencies?
Our core competency is to identify, assess and mitigate the risks unique to horticulture. We guarantee to provide competent advice on business risks, tailor-made insurance cover and, in the event of damage or loss, fast and fair compensation.
Where does your horticultural expertise come from?
In order to meet the requirements of our role, a highly qualified team with in-depth knowledge of the industry is essential. More than half of all Gartenbau-Versicherung’s employees have completed vocational training and/or have a degree in horticulture. Together with insurance know-how and many years of experience, the result is unique expert knowledge.
What makes a mutual insurance company special?
Our mutual insurance company’s sole obligation is to serve the interests of its members. Gartenbau-Versicherung is therefore not dependent on any outside capital interests and does not seek to maximize profits. Instead, our focus is on the quality of our service and advice – we do everything we can to provide security for our members. Our assistance is fast and unbureaucratic, especially in the event of damage or loss.
What is the history of Gartenbau-Versicherung?
It all began in Berlin. In the middle of the 19th century, several hailstorms had caused considerable damage to horticultural businesses there. But none of the agricultural insurance companies were willing to accept nurseries. They considered the risks to be too great and too complex. “Then let’s just start our own insurance company!” The story of Gartenbau-Versicherung must have begun something like this. In an unprecedented act of self-help, the gardeners overcame many obstacles. On May 10, 1847, Deutsche Hagelversicherungsgesellschaft für Gärtnereien zu Berlin (German Hail Insurance Company for Nurseries in Berlin) was founded.
