Michael Ecker and his business partner Alevras Dimitrios run the Ecker Früchte Handels-GmbH, complemented by two employees of the administration section and three other workers. What the company specializes in quickly becomes clear: pallets loaded with huge watermelons, crates full of ripe pineapples and stacked baskets full of green and red grapes.
"Our focus is on fruit from Spain and overseas. We do not have regional products, because too many others are doing that already," says Dimitrios. In winter, the company also produces vegetables such as peppers, aubergines and zucchinis from Spain. The goods take between two and four days to reach their business partners in the wholesale market hall in Munich. As they have learned, products from Spain must be ordered three days in advance, and tropical fruits from overseas are usually there within a day.
"The goods from the ports of Holland or from Hamburg we already have the next day. But some products of course have to be pre-ordered. Should I need two more paletts of watermelons next week, for example. They are in short supply in winter."
Michael Ecker and business partner Alevras Dimitrios manage the Ecker Früchte Handels-GmbH - Photo: © Standortinitiative "Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt."
An elderly man walks around among the boxes and pallets, inspecting the fruits and joking with the workers. He is over 70 years old and is the oldest regular customer of the company. Eckers customers mostly come from Munich and the surrounding area. "We sell to traders, who then deliver to catering. Honey, watermelons, everything that typically ends up on the breakfast buffet, is going well," says Michael Ecker. As if on command, the telephone rings and he picks up the receiver. The majority of his customers order by phone or come to the stand in hall 3 with a shopping list.
Where working is fun
Alevras Dimitrios was born in Greece and came to Germany as a little boy. He has been on the wholesale market since 1979. "I became aware of my friend's job here in the wholesale market hall. The company I started 39 years ago had many Greek suppliers, so having someone who could speak Greek was very nice." So he did an apprenticeship and became the first salesman. He never regretted that he stayed on the wholesale market. "We are competitors, but like a family as well. Everybody knows everyone else in the wholesale market."
Michael Ecker and business partner Alevras Dimitrios manage the Ecker Früchte Handels-GmbH - Photo: © Standortinitiative "Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt."
An elderly man walks around among the boxes and pallets, inspecting the fruits and joking with the workers. He is over 70 years old and is the oldest regular customer of the company. Eckers customers mostly come from Munich and the surrounding area. "We sell to traders, who then deliver to catering. Honey, watermelons, everything that typically ends up on the breakfast buffet, is going well," says Michael Ecker. As if on command, the telephone rings and he picks up the receiver. The majority of his customers order by phone or come to the stand in hall 3 with a shopping list.
Where working is fun
Alevras Dimitrios was born in Greece and came to Germany as a little boy. He has been on the wholesale market since 1979. "I became aware of my friend's job here in the wholesale market hall. The company I started 39 years ago had many Greek suppliers, so having someone who could speak Greek was very nice." So he did an apprenticeship and became the first salesman. He never regretted that he stayed on the wholesale market. "We are competitors, but like a family as well. Everybody knows everyone else in the wholesale market."
In 1997, Dimitrios joined Ecker Früchte Handels-GmbH and became a business partner of Michael Ecker. He is the third generation to lead his family’s company. His father and uncle had taken over the company from his grandfather. Ecker himself has been involved with it for 41 years. It was always clear to him that he would continue the family business. Because from the start, he was very passionate about it.
Photo: © Standortinitiative "Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt."
"No one today can imagine how it used to be here!"
The only thing Dimitrios and his partner Ecker still cannot enjoy after all these years is getting up early. As with almost all traders in the wholesale market hall in Sendling, the work day begins at three in the morning. It was very different many years ago. The farmers from the surrounding area brought in their freshly harvested fruits and vegetables and then the trade in the wholesale market started at five or six o'clock. But back then there was no cooling, which was noticeable especially on hot summer days. For this reason, the start of the work day was postponed until dawn.
"We want to continue"
Despite their 40 years in the wholesale market, every day is different, say the dealers. "This is where life is lived. We want to carry on." As far as the wholesale market is concerned, the managing directors agree: they hope that the new building will come quickly, bringing reasonable rents with it. "We do not want to invest in a new location, we want to continue here." And of course, the pair hopes to have many customers for their fruit and vegetables on the Munich wholesale market. So that fruit on the German breakfast tables continues to come from Ecker, from the wholesale market.
Would you like to support the initiative "Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt"?
Click here.
For more information:
Standortinitiative „Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt.“
Schäftlarnstr.10
Postfach 75 09 0
81339 München,
Tel. 089/74 11 80 – 56
Fax 089/74 11 80 – 58
E-Mail: info@grossmarkt-sendling.de
Web: grossmarkt-sendling.de
Photo: © Standortinitiative "Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt."
"No one today can imagine how it used to be here!"
The only thing Dimitrios and his partner Ecker still cannot enjoy after all these years is getting up early. As with almost all traders in the wholesale market hall in Sendling, the work day begins at three in the morning. It was very different many years ago. The farmers from the surrounding area brought in their freshly harvested fruits and vegetables and then the trade in the wholesale market started at five or six o'clock. But back then there was no cooling, which was noticeable especially on hot summer days. For this reason, the start of the work day was postponed until dawn.
"We want to continue"
Despite their 40 years in the wholesale market, every day is different, say the dealers. "This is where life is lived. We want to carry on." As far as the wholesale market is concerned, the managing directors agree: they hope that the new building will come quickly, bringing reasonable rents with it. "We do not want to invest in a new location, we want to continue here." And of course, the pair hopes to have many customers for their fruit and vegetables on the Munich wholesale market. So that fruit on the German breakfast tables continues to come from Ecker, from the wholesale market.
Would you like to support the initiative "Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt"?
Click here.
For more information:
Standortinitiative „Großmarkt in Sendling. Jetzt.“
Schäftlarnstr.10
Postfach 75 09 0
81339 München,
Tel. 089/74 11 80 – 56
Fax 089/74 11 80 – 58
E-Mail: info@grossmarkt-sendling.de
Web: grossmarkt-sendling.de