Almost 10 years ago, the Jung Group founded a cultivation company in Portugal. Starting with 70 ha, the total outdoor area of the site there now amounts to over 230 ha. A good 40-50 per cent of the total Portuguese yield is used for in-house convenience production. In addition to the company's own production in Jagsthausen in Baden, a substantial part of the earnings also goes to other fresh-cut processors.
The company wanted to be sure of being able to supply their own high-quality vegetables even in the cold season, so they decided to set up a cultivation business on the Iberian peninsula, ending up in Coruche, Portugal (close to the capital, Lisbon). In the meantime, harvesting takes place all year round, says Dieter Jung, who is responsible for cultivation at the company. "We grow radicchio, pointed cabbage, carrots, endive, frisée and lolo salads, among others. The majority of the produce is marketed in Germany, but some is also exported, to Italy for example."
Lettuce, ready to be harvested in Portuguese outdoor cultivation / Picture: Gartenfrisch Jung
Supply of raw materials and proprietary processing
At the same time, leeks are also cultivated in winter at the same location. "If there is a cold spell in Germany, we can obtain the raw material from there. Later in the year, peas and peppers are also harvested for the frost industry," Mr Jung explains.
Innovative convenience concepts from Jung / Picture: Gartenfrisch Jung
In 2017, the gastronomy division was completely discontinued and since then the company has specialised completely in supplying the food retail trade with innovative fresh convenience concepts. Well known are the salad cups of the company, which were launched on the market 10 years ago and are now available nationwide. "We supply our convenience articles in both trays and bags - sales of both product lines are roughly equal."
The fresh vegetable products are transported to Germany in refrigerated vehicles owned by GFT Logistic GmbH / Picture: Gartenfrisch Jung
Growing group of companies
More than two hundred years of experience in agriculture has led the Jung family to the top in the fresh convenience sector. In the meantime, the entire group of companies is divided into a total of three divisions: two production companies (Germany and Portugal), the fresh-cut production company Gartenfrisch Jung and the logistics service provider GFT Logistic LLC (three locations in Germany).
For more information:
GARTENFRISCH Jung GmbH
Hermann-Jung-Straße 2
74249 Jagsthausen
Tel: 07943/ 8 93-0
Fax: 07943/ 8 93-1 90
E-Mail: info@gartenfrisch.de
Internet: www.gartenfrisch.de