PENNY supermarkets support German fruit farmers

For German fruit farmers 2016 wasn’t an easy year. There was the unexpected frost during the important flowering period in the Lake Constance region, and the spring was cold which inhibited the growth. Furthermore, in the region Alten Land and Lake Constance there were heavy hailstorms. This weather caused cosmetic damage to the apples. The quality and taste are flawless, but the apples are difficult to market.

That is why PENNY supermarkets will support Lake Constance and Alten Land fruit farmers with a marketing action. This week all German PENNY supermarkets will sell 5-kilo baskets with hail damaged apples. 

"The hail has had a lot of impact on many farmers, not only the trees are affected, but also the lives and incomes of families living off the apple orchards in Germany. So we are happy with the possible profit of this action, and at the same time it also contributes to the preservation and the appreciation of food,” states Hans Knöpfler, managing director of the distribution cooperation Fruit from Lake Constance (Obst vom Bodensee).

"PENNY is committed to reduce food waste and wants to improve the appreciation of our food. In our organic department we sell organic fruit and vegetables with cosmetic defects, but our marketing activities also show solidarity with conventional fruit farmers," states Jochen Baab, managing director of the REWE Group Buying and member of the management of PENNY National.

"With the sales of hail damaged apples, we support our producers in Lake Constance and the Alten Land. We are taking our responsibility and at the same time offer our customers extremely tasty apples, because the flaws are only external. The delicious taste of the apples is not affected by the hail damage," emphasizes Oskar Zwirner, Area Manager of Ultrafrische.

In the beginning of November PENNY already supported fruit growers in the Lake Constance. The supermarkets offered their customers frost damaged apples, also with purely cosmetic flaws. 

In 2015 PENNY supermarkets generated revenues of more than 7 billion Euros, and runs about 2,100 stores with 26,000 employees. Outside of Germany, PENNY has 1,360 stores and 18,000 employees and generated more than 4 billion Euros revenue in 2015.

For more information: