On September 19 and 20, 2025, it was time for Team T.Werk to get out of the office and production and into the adventure. We spent two days exploring Franconian Switzerland. An exciting mix of technology, culture and culinary discoveries.

Day 1: Agri-PV and exceptional beer moments

Visit to the Franconian Switzerland Fruit Information Center (OIZ)

Our first stop was the Fränkische Schweiz fruit information center, where an Agri-PV system with our ARTEMIS beta system was recently built. The OIZ is considered a competence center for fruit growing, variety diversity and innovation in agriculture. In an exciting presentation by farm manager Jonas Maußner, we learned how Agri-PV in fruit growing generates sustainable electricity and benefits the plants at the same time.

The researchers at the OIZ are investigating numerous parameters on the fruit trees under the new Agri-PV system ARTEMIS beta:

• Stem diameter and shoot length growth
• Leaf area and photosynthetic performance
• Harvest quantity, fruit size and sugar content
• Health status of the trees
• Climatic factors such as temperature, air and soil moisture
• Solar radiation, hours of sunshine and light intensity

The aim is to find out how Agri-PV affects plant growth, yield and quality of sweet cherries in the long term. The first valid research results are expected in three years’ time.

Following Jonas Maußner’s presentation, Team T.Werk visited the Agri-PV plant with great interest. We have put a video online on YouTube that gives a more detailed insight into this exciting project.

Cucumber and eucalyptus-flavored beer in the hop garden

After so much input, it got culinary: we visited the Hopfengarten Bamberg, probably the most colorful brewery in the city. Unusual beer creations awaited us there, including varieties with a hint of cucumber and eucalyptus. There were also tomatoes fresh from the vine and some other surprising treats.

World of beers in the Bierothek

We continued on to the Bierothek Bamberg, where we sampled beer specialties from all over the world. During a tasting session, we also learned a lot of exciting things about the art of brewing beer and the trends in the craft beer scene. A relaxed dinner together rounded off the first day.

Day 2: Pure culture in Bamberg

On Saturday, the cultural events continued early in the morning:

• Guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bamberg: impressive architecture, fascinating anecdotes, places steeped in history: Bamberg inspired us with its diversity.
• Visit to the gardening town and museum: here we delved even deeper into the traditional history of Bamberg’s vegetable growing. Particularly exciting: the combination of centuries-old cultivation methods with modern city life.

Our conclusion

Two days full of variety:

• Future-oriented insights into Agri-PV with our ARTEMIS system
• Unusual taste experiences from cucumber beer to craft beer tasting
• Pure culture in one of the most beautiful cities in Germany

In the end, we all agreed that this excursion gave us knowledge and enjoyment, strengthened our team spirit and was a lot of fun!