In 2003, Baris Karaman from Karlsruhe started the wholesale company carrying his name at the local wholesale market. After working mainly as a middleman for about 12 years, he took over the supply of regional gastronomers in 2015. Since then, he has quickly made a name for himself in the urban environment and beyond. In just over two years, he has been able to increase his turnover by 60-70 percent, he says.
Since the foundation of his company, Mr Karaman has gradually specialised in the just-in-time supply to all types of restaurateurs, and with great success: "This year alone we have been able to register a large number of new customers. We know from experience that at least 60 percent of these new customers will continue to actively purchase from us in the future. The new customers are often recent openings with smaller purchasing volumes, but also restaurant chains with some branches that are supplied daily by us and thus belong to our larger customers. It is precisely these customers who are relying on expansion and want to grow together with us. Further development areas are offices and canteen kitchens."
Mr. Karaman (r) and an employee during FreshPlaza.de's wholesale market visit of in November 2018. The ambitious entrepreneur currently employs nine people.
Existing delivery circle 100% exhausted
In order to be able to serve this rapidly growing clientele accordingly, the company's capacity is being successively expanded, explains Karaman. "Our aim is to make better use of our supply area: We are not only focusing on acquiring new customers in Karlsruhe and the surrounding area, but we are also continuously expanding our supply circle around our headquarters. At the moment we supply catering customers in Karlsruhe, Bruchsal, Südbaden and are well represented all the way to the Black Forest."
An added value in gastronomy is the production and delivery of pre-cut goods and fruit salads. In recent years, this convenience sector has rapidly gained in importance in the German trade. "We are still purchasing our pre-cut goods, but it is only a matter of time before we open our own production facility. The market is tending towards ready-to-cook products and our strategic goal is to also meet this customer demand." This production division will not necessarily be established at the wholesale market site, but will also be open to a location elsewhere, Karaman emphasises.
Left: Sprout varieties (beetroot, chinarose and alfalfa) are requested by some customers all year round. With this exotic selection of fruit and vegetables, the restaurant supplier wants to offer added value to its rapidly growing clientele.
Own production facility
The headquarters at the Karlsruher Großmarkt has not yet been expanded, but there is still potential for a possible capacity expansion. "We still have enough scope to create a similar increase in customer numbers as this year. In addition, we are committed to just-in-time delivery to our customers and try to work with minimum stock levels as far as possible."
For more information:
Karaman - Obst & Gemüse Großhandel
Inh. Baris Karaman 
Weinweg 43 (Großmarkt)
D-76137 Karlsruhe
Tel.: 0721 / 961 41 28 - 0
Fax: 0721 / 961 41 28 - 10
b.karaman@karaman-ka.de
www.karaman-ka.de