FEATURE
A synergy of expertise for better feed
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Pro Pond feed in the automated hopper
by Tom Blacker, International Aquafeed he JBL story started in 1960 with a small specialist pet shop in Ludwigshafen, Germany, which Joachim Böhme, a trained chemist, beetle expert and aquarium enthusiast opened. This turned his hobby into a profession. When diseases in ornamental fish became a problem in the early days of fish keeping, he developed a remedy named Punktol for 'white spot disease' (Ichtyo). It can still be purchased to this day. To bring this remedy to market, he needed a brand name, which he created from his own initials JB, and the “L” of his location at the time, Ludwigshafen. After the launch of the JBL brand, the JBL company (based in Neuhofen/Pfalz since 1984) - rapidly developed to become one of the biggest full range suppliers for aquarium, terrarium and garden pond products in Germany. 180 employees work on the company site of about 2.5 ha. Today JBL supplies 60 countries worldwide with a range of over 1000 products and over 300 spare parts covering all apects of aquarium and pond fish keeping. JBL Pro Pond products
I visited their premises in Neuhofen along with our Chinese milling expert partner, Dr Wenbin Wu and a contingent from London and South East Milling Society (LSEMS), to take a look at the Pro Pond feed range (just one of a plethora of specialist feed products that the company produces). Current Head of Research and Development (R&D) and Quality Management at JBL, Michael Donner led the group through a presentation and factory tour. Michael is a fisheries biologist and expert in fish nutrition and fish health, having received his education at Ifm-Geomar Kiel and University Konstanz. His role in the R&D department is of huge importance to JBL because of the need for continous product innovation in the competitive ornamental fish market.
Company ethos
On the JBL website, the General Manager of JBL, Roland Böhme, says, “We follow the commitment of my father, who founded the company 50 years ago. He loved animals of all kinds and made it a central issue to create products that would optimise the keeping of animals, and thus stop their removal from the wild. I am happy to continue this aim!” The fishmeal that is an ingredient in the feed is from certified and sustainably farmed aquaculture facilites located in northern France. This gives sustainable and high-quality fish protein at the correct scale for JBL, which also promotes protection of the environment with no wild fish necessary. The offcuts from human fish fillet production are used, so co-products of aquaculture are an important raw material. Another raw material is wheat, sourced only from local farms. Continuing the theme, JBL’s building itself was adorned in many solar panels that generate electricity for its own power; impressively displayed on a live board above the main door. Michael showed us around the main halls on site with a close view of the Pro Pond range with Neo Index®. This range is available in several different protein to fat ratios to allow targeted nutrition depending on the time of year (or water temperature) with versions of Pond Pro feed available for spring, summer, autumn and winter. There are also specialised versions formulated
24 | September 2017 - International Aquafeed