Do it yourself in Saxony

If you fancy a coffee while strolling through Saxony, the Reinhardt coffee roasting company is the place to go (Hall 21b/231). Reinhardt has been selling coffee machines since 1993 and has also been a roasting company since 2013. Maik Reinhardt is happy to explain how this came about: As there was hardly anything on offer for roasting machines, the entrepreneur from Burgstädt near Chemnitz wanted to include them in his product range. "Before you sell a machine for something, you need to understand how the process works. And you have to do it yourself," he says.

A new opportunity

The company's roasting specialist is his son Jan, who had to give up his job as a chef in 2013 for health reasons. The new line of business also opened up a new opportunity for his professional life. The green coffee for the roastery comes from 40 growing countries, from Australia to Indonesia, India and the Galapagos Islands. Reinhardts only use hand-picked goods. The stand is popular. Maik Reinhardt is also happy to serve an egg liqueur or give out a sample of his Ruby chocolate from the red cocoa bean.

The "do it yourself" theme is also on the programme at the activity area diagonally opposite. "Bye-bye cling film - making beeswax wraps with simple means" is the name of the workshop led by Melanie Hegewald from the candle workshop in Dresden-Klotzsche. "You can use beeswax cloths for almost anything you would normally use cling film or aluminium foil for - except for fish and meat," says Melanie Hegewald. Thanks to their antibacterial properties, the mouldable cloths are ideal for wrapping sandwiches, storing vegetables in the fridge or covering leftovers from the previous day. They are easy to clean with a damp cloth and a little washing-up liquid.

Local production creates sustainability

Local production and reuse create a sustainable effect. With commercially available beeswax cloths, it is difficult to trace where the cloths come from and whether the bees are kept in a species-appropriate manner. The candle workshop in Dresden-Klotzsche sources its beeswax from a regional beekeeper, explains Melanie Hegewald. To make the cloths yourself, you need: a piece of fabric of any size, beeswax, baking paper, an iron and a water bath. "The wax becomes liquid above 70 degrees, but be careful, if it gets too hot it can burn," warns Melanie Hegewald.

The participants spread the heated wax evenly over the fabric with a brush. They then place a piece of baking paper on top and run the iron over it until the wax has been absorbed into the fabric. Now leave to cool briefly - and the alternative food packaging is ready. On Saturday there will be a workshop on the artistic processing of volcanic rock, and on Sunday there will be a final workshop on "Working with natural materials - felting wool and building with wooden boxes" (10 a.m. - 6 p.m., in the activity area in Hall 21b).