Since December 2022, the central wholesale market hall in Munich has welcomed a new company: Alpha Fruit Ltd. Managing Director Jörg Sailer reflects on a successful acquisition of the existing premises and sales area, as well as a great first year. "We had the unique opportunity to not only take over the infrastructure including the cold storage but also the trained professional staff of the previous tenant. We have expanded, enhanced, and adapted these existing structures," Sailer explains, also highlighting the synergy between the new company and his already established company, Klaus Burkert.
The proven core assortment, focusing on potatoes and onions, has been gradually expanded to include new product areas, Sailer continues. "New to our range is the Polish product lineup, including apples, celery, and cabbages. Spanish potatoes were also quite interesting in the summer, when there was a shortage of German goods. Moreover, we are dealing with vegetable imports from Italy, especially herbs and leaf salads, whose season is now slowly coming to an end. Additionally, we have offered citrus fruits from Turkey, Spain, and Egypt, as well as French specialty items, such as Jerusalem artichokes and La Ratte potatoes. We aim to utilize logistics efficiently, purchase precisely, and minimize inventory levels accordingly."
The Alpha Fruit team at their sales stand.
Gradual increase in onion prices
However, the company's core expertise remains the procurement and marketing of Austrian vegetable onions. Sailer: "The first harvest of 2023 has almost completely failed due to poor weather conditions, forcing us to turn to Spanish onions. Currently, there is a sufficient volume of goods available, although the larger bulbs are still missing. Otherwise, we are moving up to 50 percent above the price level of five or ten years ago, which is also due to increased logistics and procurement costs. All in all, margins tend to decrease over the years. Due to their high quality, Austrian goods are more expensive than domestic onions in sales, yet still 20-25 percent cheaper compared to Spanish products. With the proven Metzger onions, the Spaniards naturally have a unique selling point, although Turkish Metzger onions are occasionally found at the local wholesale market as well."
Jörg Sailer is the owner and managing director of Alpha Fruit and Klaus Burkert e.K.
Affordable, customer-oriented, and sustainable solution
The future of his company is inevitably linked to the fate of the entire wholesale market. "If this place becomes a construction site, we will not grow, but be destroyed. I fear that customers will one day forego shopping at the local wholesale market and will either go elsewhere or opt for delivery. I think this would particularly affect the variety on restaurant menus. To be able to design an attractive and varied menu, one indeed needs the wholesale market. The same applies to the entire food supply in the Munich area, including specialty stores and weekly markets. Thus, the city of Munich needs a customer-oriented and sustainable solution for the wholesale market that remains affordable for everyone," Sailer concludes.
For more information:
Jörg Sailer
ALPHA Fruit GmbH
Großmarkt München
Tel.: +49 170 3889931