A total of 424 exhibitors from 16 countries are participating in this year's expoSE & expoDirekt in Karlsruhe (Germany), and over 5,000 visitors from more than 30 countries are expected to attend. According to the organizer of VSSE, the number of exhibitors has recovered and stabilized since the pandemic. The international reach of the trade fair duo has also been steadily expanded. This is evidenced by the expected increase in international exhibitors of around 4 percent. "There are more exhibitors from Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland in particular compared to last year. In terms of visitors, we are seeing strong growth from Belgium, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland," explains VSSE spokesperson Simon Schumacher on inquiry.
The range of products and services offered by the trade fair duo has always been adapted to the changing needs of the sector. Schumacher: "We have integrated the topic of stone fruit into the exhibition spectrum and supporting program, as some companies, especially direct marketers, grow cherries or plums, for example, to expand their segment and remain attractive to customers even in the waning strawberry season. Our long-standing exhibitors from the very beginning also view this development positively, because ultimately it responds to the needs of the market."
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
VSSE Board Spokesman Simon Schumacher with Britta Wirtz and Oliver Brück from Messe Karlsruhe
Mechanization, automation, and digitalization are shaping the sector
After a few difficult years, the asparagus and berry industry is once again showing a willingness to innovate and invest, Schumacher notes, pointing to the record number of entries for the innovation award (37 submissions). "In general, exhibitors continue to grapple intensively with the omnipresent challenges facing the sector: the further increase in the minimum wage, the ongoing shortage of personnel, especially in sales, and extreme weather conditions. Innovations aimed at reducing production costs, saving on personnel, and increasing yields can be seen in the areas of mechanization, automation, and digitization in particular. An important topic at this year's expoSE will be robots in a wide variety of areas of activity: spreading beneficial insects or other applications, asparagus harvesting, asparagus placement on the conveyor belt, asparagus processing, and peeling machines. At expoDirekt, innovative purchasing and payment systems, vending machines for farm shops and direct marketers, as well as farm shop equipment and sustainable packaging, will be on display."
Opportunity for direct marketing in urban centers
Schumacher predicts that the intensification of cultivation areas, protected cultivation, and the introduction of robotics will continue in Germany. "The forms of marketing, direct marketing and/or marketing via food retailers, will occur less and less together. Businesses will increasingly choose between the two. In urban centers, direct marketing will have a great opportunity, while businesses with larger areas will tend to market via food retailers. The current wars are having an impact on the sector, but fortunately not on a large scale. For the trade fair, this means no Ukrainian exhibitors and only a few visitors from Ukraine. For farms in Germany, this means a loss of seasonal workers from Ukraine who picked berries during the school vacations before the war began."
Positive results for the 2025 asparagus and berry season
Traditionally, Karlsruhe takes one last look back at the past asparagus and strawberry season. Schumacher sums up that the season was positive in both areas. "Due to the weather, 2025 was a good year for strawberries, with aromatic fruits, slightly lower harvest volumes, predominantly stable prices, and high consumer demand for strawberries. It was only towards the end of the season that the weather became rainy, which posed a challenge for optimal strawberry cultivation." The VSSE spokesperson refers to current figures. According to the Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI), demand for German strawberries in the 2025 season was slightly above average. From the beginning of the year to the end of July 2025, buyer reach was slightly above the average for the years 2020 to 2024. This is also reflected in the purchase quantities: according to AMI and YouGov, private households purchased 8 percent more German strawberries by the end of July 2025 than in the same period compared to the long-term average for the years 2020 to 2024.
Supply and demand for asparagus also remained in good balance, making it a year with good demand and largely stable prices. "Demand for asparagus matched supply for most of the season. According to the Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI), wholesale prices were mostly higher than in the previous year and the long-term average from 2020 to 2024 due to supply and cost factors."
Upward trend for green asparagus and strawberries from protected cultivation
According to the latest forecasts, the area under cultivation will continue to decline in most federal states, and asparagus plantations will also become younger on average to be more economical. "New plantings are therefore to be expected. Green asparagus cultivation will also increase slightly in line with rising demand. In the case of strawberries, areas will be shifted even further to protected cultivation, and areas of open-field cultivation that are not profitable will be abandoned. Overall, we are optimistic that asparagus and strawberry producers will come to our trade fair duo this year with a greater willingness and need to invest, and we are very much looking forward to the coming week," he concludes.
Visit the VSSE stand at expoSE: Hall 2 / K28
For more information and registration:
Simon Schumacher
Verband Süddeutscher Spargel- und Erdbeeranbauer e.V.
Werner-von-Siemens-Straße 2-6
76646 Bruchsal
Phone: +49 7251 30320-80
E-mail: [email protected]
www.vsse.de
www.expo-se.de/
