"Since last year, in addition to the wholesaling business, I also run a street stall for strawberries, so a citrus grower came up to me and asked me if I also wanted to offer citrus fruits, and that's how it all started," says Jan Gütinger from Obst-Gütinger UG, which took in untreated citrus fruits for the first time in November last year.
The dealer had no experience with the fruits, but decided to try them anyway. The quality of the fruits of the partner ultimately was not right for him and now he buys his citrus from the wholesale market in Stuttgart. "My leafy oranges come from Sicily, from the Ribera region. These fruits are well received by my customers and the demand is high." In addition to the leafy oranges, he also has untreated Sicilian lemons in his assortment, as well as waxed Moro blood oranges and orange juice.
"It is important to emphasize that untreated citrus fruits are not bioware, as only the skin is untreated. The cultivation techniques remain the same." Although Gütinger also offers products of organic quality, it also recommends that people would question what the real differences are.
In terms of price, the untreated citrus fruits are more expensive than conventional fruits, both in purchasing and in sales. Currently, leafy oranges are traded for €2.40, the untreated leafy Clementines from Spain cost €3.00 and Sicilian lemons are at €2.30.
In addition to the normal wholesale business, Gütinger currently markets its fruit mainly by subscription boxes to private households. It sells office fruit to interested companies as well. He plans to launch his own online shop in the near future.
Obst-Gütinger is a true family business, which was founded in 1896 and is now run by the fifth generation, being Jan Gütinger. At the company headquarters in Rietheim-Weilheim, regional and supra-regional fruits, exotic fruits, vegetables and nuts from conventional and organic production are being offered. The marketer's specialties are actually Bosnian plums, whose season will last for only one and a half months a year. He imports these himself and then sells them to various customers in Germany and the Netherlands.
For more information:
Jan Gütinger
Obst-Gütinger UG (haftungsbeschränkt) i.Gr.
Eschenweg 16
78604 Rietheim-Weilheim
Tel: +49 (0)7424 / 93 13 480
Mobile: +49 (0)172 / 138 00 78
E-Mail: info@fruchtgrosshandel.net
Web: www.fruchtgrosshandel.net