The carrot fields in this country have been harvested industriously for a few weeks now: T. Brun Frischgemüse GmbH & Co. KG, one of the major suppliers of German food retailing, is also experiencing a boom. For some years, the carrots company based in Borken has been focusing on snack carrots: despite the rapid development of this product segment in the German market, managing director Tobias Brun sees further sales potential in Germany. FreshPlaza was in Borken for a conversation about the upcoming harvest, growth opportunities and - last but not least - the passion for snack carrots.
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CEO Tobias Brun shows fresh snack carrots from regional production.
The current heat is also noticeable on the producer in Borken, reports Tobias Brun. Currently you get the situation on the field still with sprinkling under control. But this year, there have already been failures: "We started the new harvest in week 26: we can still supply early carrots as needed." How the stock will develop is currently difficult to assess - because the plants are still in the market The prices for the first domestic carrots were quite good, but supply and demand are still manageable, so we are currently still expecting a normal season," says Brun.
Tobias Brun in the production hall.
Snack carrots: Earlier harvest, longer harvest periods
In contrast to the conventional carrots you could harvest snack carrots one month earlier. On May 20, the first snack products of this year's season were cleared. After the first attempts in 2014, the snack carrots have been in full production for 3 years now. Right from the start, domestic food retailing was ready to receive high-quality and tasty snack carrots from local soil, explains Tobias Brun. In practice, however, it is quite difficult to deliver quality for this sensitive produce.
"At the end of the outdoor harvest, the snack carrots are covered with straw in the field so that they can be offered fresh until April Imported products from our Mediterranean producers, which is why we can offer snack carrots 12 months a year." 
Fresh raw material from the field is processed as on the same day as much as possible.
Packaging: Exciting topic in the carrot industry
The finger-sized home-grown vegetables are finally offered in 200g bags. In contrast to the conventional carrots, the snack carrots can not be offered loose on the shelf, informs Tobias Brun. The goods would dry out too quickly or the durability would suffer. "All the well-known chains are working hard to put the issue of packaging reduction into action, and it's currently difficult for us suppliers to invest in packaging technology because we do not know where the market will be in the short term." 
The carrots are washed, processed and sorted at the same location. After that, they arrive at the packaging plant.
The future: Further sales potential for snack carrots
Brun sees the future for his company - despite the challenges in today's fresh trade - in any case positive. "We continue to see ourselves as an innovative company and reliable partner of German food retailing. We continue to see interesting sales opportunities on the German market, especially with snack carrots.
View of the water treatment hall built in 2018.
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For more information:
T. Brun GmbH & Co. KG Frischgemüse
Tobias Brun
Marbecker Str. 101
46325 Borken
Tel: 02865 / 60 960 - 0
Fax: 02865 / 60 960 - 30
E-Mail: info@tbrun.de
www.tbrun.de