Sauerkraut and cucumbers have made this Swabian family business Hengstenberg what is it today. But the market is shrinking. Now the question is: Can sauerkraut ever become hip again?
Small cucumbers
When a warm summer rain is drizzling down on a cucumber field, cucumber plants feel really good. They like it warm and humid. At the right moment in summer, you can almost watch them grow, as cucumbers can grow up to two centimeters on a warm night. "This is a challenge when harvesting," says Philipp Hengstenberg, one of the managing directors of the Hengstenberg company: "Cucumbers should not be too large."
That is because consumers desire small pickles. That is why every summer, specialised machines are driven over the fields by tractors. Harvesters are lying on them on their stomach, picking the vegetables as fast as they can.
Difficult harvesting conditions
Cucumber picking was difficult this summer, because of the heat. However, the dry weather has really damaged the cabbages for making sauerkraut. The harvest of these has just begun. Hengstenberg expects a drop in harvest volume of more than 35 percent. That's quite dramatic, but Hengstenberg will cope with that as well. Their experience with crop fluctuations is extensive: With Sauerkraut, the company once succeeded in advancing from a small, regional factory to a medium-sized enterprise known throughout Germany.
Today, production takes place at two locations: Bad Friedrichshall in Franconia and Fritzlar in Hesse. There Hengstenberg operates the largest sauerkraut factory in Europe. The traditional Swabian company headquartered in Esslingen is the undisputed market leader in regard to sauerkraut, allegedly the most 'German' of all dishes. For years, the company has been fighting for market leadership with its Hamburg-based competitor Kühne.
Export procedures
No wonder the majority of Germans know the Hengstenberg brand. The company also generates almost all of its sales in Germany and only around 10 percent abroad. However, the share of exports should start to rise, said the managing director. In the United States, the Swabians sell their sauerkraut quite unabashedly in "Bavarian style" with a white and blue label - and that's because the Americans know this, encouraging them to buy the product.
Richard Hengstenberg laid the foundation for the company's success with his idea of bottling and pasteurizing cabbage. In 1932, Hengstenberg launched the world's first pasteurized sauerkraut. In the fifties it became a bestseller. In fact, canning the cabbages was a real step forward. Before that, cabbages were sometimes stored at home in large barrels, either of wood or earthenware. Sometimes the cabbage became so sour and stale that it had to be thoroughly washed before cooking. Today you can just open the tin and then heat the cabbage for a few minutes.
The sauerkraut market is shrinking
Still, the sauerkraut has a hard time today. Although Swabian housewifes and older Germans remain loyal to the product, Hengstenberg has to fight to reach the younger people. This does not go so much for cucumbers, but young people often regard sauerkraut as stuffy - at least in its classical form. According to figures from market research institute GFK, 66 percent of canned sauerkraut buyers are 50 years or older. Overall, the market is shrinking: In 2012, almost 57 percent of all households bought canned sauerkraut, compared to just 53 percent in 2017. And households who do buy sauerkraut, are purchasing it less often than 5 years ago. They buy around 2.6 kilograms of sauerkraut per household per year.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
For more information:
HENGSTENBERG GMBH & CO. KG
Mettinger Straße 109
73728 Esslingen
Tel: (+49) 0711 / 39 29 - 0
Fax: (+49) 0711 / 39 29 - 12 30
E-Mail: info@hengstenberg.de
Web: www.hengstenberg.de