The organic fruit and vegetable trade has had the wind at its back for several years. Due to the trend towards more sustainability, healthy nutrition and complete traceability to the POS, organic food is visibly gaining in importance. We spoke with Olaf Lehmann, Managing Director of Appenweier Frische Ltd, about the corona-related turbulent marketing year and the future of the organic sector.
According to Lehmann, the effects of the corona crisis must be clearly differentiated. "Organic delivery services have benefited disproportionately, especially during the Corona peaks. Office delivery services and specialty stores in the city centers, on the other hand, have suffered sales losses, sometimes severely." In general, the organic sector has come through the crisis well so far, he said. Lehmann: "The growth rates show that consumers have spent more money on organic food."
Olaf Lehmann, managing director of M&L Appenweier
Consideration of classic organic values
In parallel, sustainability values such as biodiversity, soil protection and CO2 savings continue to be strongly associated with organic products. Lehmann also sees an obvious upward trend on the producer side. "More and more producers are expanding their organic production, for example in the Palatinate, Lower Saxony and Franconia. That is why the cultivation structures are inevitably changing. However, it is mainly the big players who are expanding their areas. The classic organic producers generally participate less in this."
Appenweier Frische is observing these trends rather critically, trying to go its own way, Lehmann emphasizes. "Beyond the supply chain - whether producers or buyers, we continue to focus on family-run companies that match our values. Within our market, there is a very high self-sufficiency rate, which is why we do our main business with imported goods."
Italian organic citrus yields down
Regarding the current incoming goods, it is classic big sellers such as oranges, clementines and Brussels sprouts that dominate the scene. In line with the classic organic values, efforts are being made to keep transport and procurement routes as short as possible. Lehmann: ""We specifically plan out our products, where possible, in Europe. The best quality, at a suitable location with the right company, is important to us."
Italian Tarocco blood oranges account for 40% of orange sales, Lehmann continues. "Due to the weather, the Sicilian citrus sector has suffered significant yield losses this year, which is why crop volumes have been very weak. On the procurement side, we have had to source more produce from Spain."
Organic sector in transition
According to Lehmann, the market share of organic food will continue to grow. "The future challenge is to maintain credibility and deliver on our promises. The classic organic values tend to be less considered in the large growing structures. Especially the smaller growers, with high demands on their production, will be squeezed by market structures and price pressure. I see the need to meet these challenges accordingly, by enabling resellers to communicate to their customers why they are sourcing from smaller growers. The quality differences need to be emphasized more, especially at the POS," Lehmann concludes.
For more information:
M & L Appenweier Frische GmbH
Olaf Lehmann
August-Spindler-Straße 1
D-37079 Göttingen
Tel: +49 (0) 55 1 / 307071-0
Fax: +49 (0) 55 1 / 307071-29
E-Mail: kontakt@appenweier-frische.de
www.appenweier-frische.de