"Basically all of Europe was affected by the drought, including Bavaria. But since we got some rainfall at the right time, at least in the western half of Bavaria, it was not that dramatic for us," says Richard Grob from Kartoffel-Centrum Bayern. Proper preparation had also been helpful: "Since the drought was a hot topic at an early stage, we were able to fill in gaps, which made the supply of raw materials to our main customers a challenge, but one that could be resolved through a variety of measures."
Shifting from the old to the new harvest will be no problem this year. Grob: "In the current weather conditions, we expect the raw material of the new harvest for french fries industry coming in, starting week 28. For the early regions in the Palatinate, Baden and in the Rhineland, this possibly be even a bit earlier."
The KCB specializes in the delivery of French fries potatoes to regional industry, but exports also play an important role in Bavaria. "Southern Europe is currently at a normal level, but in expensive years, such as this, demand from the Eastern European countries with less purchasing power is slightly lower."
With regard to packaging, there has been a great deal of cross-sectoral activity in recent years. There are also developments in the potato industry: "We pack everything into 4-25 kg poly-Raschel sacks for export. This is a very light, 100% recyclable plastic compared to many other expensive standard packagings today."
.JPG?preset=ContentFullSmall)
The KCB at the Fruit Logistica 2019, represented at the joint stand of Maurer-Parat (left to right): Karsten Krisch (Maurer-Parat), Johannes Rohbeck (Wilhelm Weuthen GmbH & Co. KG), Tom Faessen (Wilhelm Weuthen), Richard Grob (KCB ), Larissa Hafner (Wilhelm Weuthen), Stefan Claser (Wilhelm Weuthen), Christina Schröder (Wilhelm Weuthen) and Ludwig Hartmann (Maurer Parat).
The company was founded in 1998, supplying raw materials to the Aviko company. "Not all potatoes are up to the industry standard, so we have built up a network of different markets, so we can always provide farmers with solutions, even when their produce is problematic that are challenging. This was one of the reasons why the Geiselhöring facility was set up in 2011. This specializes in export goods, and the Geiselhöring site is also responsible for special sortings and kinds of all packaging."
Aviko Germany in Rain/Lech is still the main customer. In addition to this, KCB supplies industries in the surrounding areas and factories in other European countries. The company also exports potatoes and onions, in big bags and 4-25kg sacks, to South-Eastern Europe. The total volume is currently at around 300,000 tonnes of potatoes and seed potatoes and at about 15,000 tonnes of onions.
"Exotic varieties really have no place with us. There is the Malika, a promising variety in the food sector, which we want to promote further, and as the potato industry in Bavaria continues to expand, there are still very good prospects for regional agriculture in the future," said Grob in conclusion.
For more information:
Richard Grob
Leitung Speisekartoffeln / Speisezwiebeln
Kartoffel-Centrum Bayern GmbH
Mittelstetterstr. 42
86641 Rain/Lech
Tel. +49 9090 / 9604 – 14
Mail: richard.grob@rwz.de
Web: www.kartoffel-centrum-bayern.com