Parsley, chives, basil and mint are grown on an area of 25 hectares for the 'Gartenbauzentrale Papenburg' (GBZ). The GBZ has sold 84 million herb pots and 12 million packs of cut herbs in the last year. Back in 1931, 15 growers united in Papenburg to collectively sell vegetables from 15 hectares of open ground and one hectare of greenhouse cultivation. 41 connected growers now sell the GBZ vegetables, potted herbs, cut herbs and flowers from 77 hectares of greenhouse cultivation and 202 hectares of open ground cultivation.
Photo: Landvolk
The success story of the potted herbs started as a coincidence: "A gardener from Papenburg brought herbs seeds back from an excursion in the 80's and planted them in pots," says Andreas Brinker, sales leader of GBZ. This idea quickly spread and after somewhat difficult initial years suddenly everyone wanted to buy herb pots, Andreas remembers. He is particularly surprised by the success of basil. "It was almost completely unknown in Germany in the 80s. Now 70 percent of potted herbs in GBZ are basil varieties!" says Andreas. The turnover, made with chives, parsley and basil, has grown continually. These three classics are the best-sellers. 60 different types of herbs are grown in total, including sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano and a large number of mints, as well as rarities such as lemon herb, curry herb, licorice marigold and mushroom plant.
The varying weather at the moment is difficult for the horticulture companies, but that isn't their main concern at the moment. "Due to advertising measures there is an increasing desire for locality among consumers. The manner of trade in food doesn't always make sense here," says Andreas. The GBZ suddenly can't supply some stores, as there are state borders between them. The short distance of the GBZ to Nordrhein-Westfalen, Schleswig-Holstein or Bremen, or the excellent quality of the product from Papenburg are no longer taken into consideration. "The trend is being followed without taking grown structures into account. The consumer doesn't benefit from this. The fact that the herbs in the supermarket travelled less distance because they're from the same state, isn't guaranteed," clarifies Andreas.