For gastronomers, Christmas time is usually the most important time of the year. December is also the month with the highest turnover for those specialized wholesalers who supply these restaurants and bars with daily fresh produce. Because of the limited selection of local fresh produce, the offer must now be obtained everywhere. This sometimes poses great challenges for the traders, knows Marco Kübler, owner of the company Bayreuther Fruchtgarten LLC.
Liyana and Marco Kübler operate the wholesale business together.
Lamb's lettuce from Italy
Now, in winter, the majority of vegetable crops are sourced from abroad. "I hardly get any lamb's lettuce from the region, so we mainly use Italy or Belgium as a supplement. Compared to German products, Italian lamb's lettuce is also somewhat cheaper. Belgian products are a bit more expensive than Italian lamb's lettuce," Kübler outlines.
Increased demand for vegetable specialities
In addition to the winter classics, vegetable specialities such as Cima di Rapa from Italy and Flower Sprouts from the Netherlands have also gained in importance in recent years. Kübler: "Meanwhile we also supply quite a few Asian cuisines in the area, where less attention is paid to seasonal produce. In this area there is a permanent demand for standard products - such as fruit vegetables - and at Christmas there is a renewed increase in demand."
Cima di Rapa
Tons of vegetables from the garlic country
Fruchtgarten Bayreuth is located in the immediate vicinity of the garlic country, one of the most important growing areas in Germany. During the main season, from March to October, tons of fruit vegetables, lettuces and herbs are harvested in the local greenhouses, a substantial part of which is sold to the regional trade. "From spring onwards, we try to take as much of our purchases as possible from regional producers. By April/May the complete range of products from the region should be available," says Kübler, describing the course of the season.
Flower Sprouts from Holland
Already since the foundation of the company a few years ago, the management has specialized mainly in the supply of gastronomy. "Gastronomy in particular is an area in which new and surprising things are constantly being sought. It is our task to offer new products at a fair price to our customers. We are developing more and more into a full-range supplier and are also increasingly offering fresh convenience products such as ready-to-eat salads and sliced vegetables, as well as dairy products and seafood," adds Kübler.
Upward trend in the catering trade
All in all, Kübler is quite positive about the future of regional gastronomy: "Gastronomy is up-and-coming, in my view. The people in this area like to eat somewhere nice, as does the younger generation. So we certainly hope that this upward trend will continue to go on over the coming years".
For more information:
Fruchtgarten Bayreuth GmbH
GF: Marco Kübler
Bindlacher Str. 4
95448 Bayreuth
T: +49 (0)921 16 33 30 13
F: +49(0)921 16 39 29 03
mail: info@fruchtgarten-bayreuth.de
www.fruchtgarten-bayreuth.de