For the entire Frutania Group, one of the leading marketers of soft fruits in Germany, 2023 has been an exciting year so far: the weather extremes and high production costs presented some major challenges to the affiliated growers. Meanwhile, marketing-wise - despite inflation and lower purchasing power - good results were achieved. The latest addition to the Grafschafter family of companies is the acquisition of the adjacent Krupp cherry and plum farm and with it the premium plum variety Haroma. FreshPlaza.de spoke on site with Frutania boss Markus Schneider and his team about developments in the stone and soft fruit sectors.
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A raspberry of the Diamond Juice variety / Image: Frutania GmbH
Satisfactory 2023 berry campaign
Due to the cold front in April and May, the flowering process had been relatively slow, which was reflected in an undersupply at the beginning of the strawberry season. "However, to date we have had nice and stable qualities with good fruit sizes and flavour. Overall, we had a tidy market, although the last two weeks in the field were quite difficult due to the heat. As a result, we have been missing small quantities for a few weeks now," Schneider sums up.
For the other crops, the season has gone according to plan so far, the Frutania boss continues. "Despite the slight harvest delay of one week, I would call the raspberries a normal year. With the currants, we are through with the early varieties and are now starting to harvest the Rovada variety. The blueberry and blackberry harvests are also in full swing and the qualities have been pleasing so far. We have now completed our gooseberry harvest and marketing with good results. Even though it concerns a smaller market segment, we have been able to successively increase our market share and harvest volume in recent years through new varieties and cultivation methods."
View into the strawberry tunnel: A significant part of the berry crops at Frutania are produced in sheltered cultivation, which is why the crops are not only protected from heat and rain, but the microclimate can also be controlled to a significant extent.
Image: Frutania GmbH
Difficult cherry year looms
Meanwhile, the cherry season is also in full swing. Harvesting of the early varieties has already been completed, and the later varieties such as Regina are now being picked. "We have had to deal with poor pollination weather and frost damage this year, which has led to an undersupply in the market," Tobias Linnemannstöns, Head of Supply Chain Management at the company, sums up. "Cherries are a difficult topic this year," adds Schneider. "Nevertheless, prices have been stable so far with brisk sales. From a production perspective, we are looking for suitable late varieties. The aim is to still be able to market German cherries in August and even September and to expand our range of cherries accordingly. At the moment, there is a hole after the end of the German harvest until overseas goods from Canada and Chile hit the market at some point. We have already received enquiries from food retailers to fill this gap in supply."
The three-member management of Frutania GmbH with Markus Schneider (r) / Picture: Frutania GmbH
Renaissance of the plum
In the southern cultivation area of Frutania GmbH, at the sister company Fruitfels GmbH in Oberkirch, early plums are already being harvested, and in week 31 the regional plum harvest in the county will also start. "Despite isolated hail damage, this year's season is off to a good start in terms of quality and we expect an absolute volume year," says Schneider, pointing to the growth of the Haroma variety. "With Haroma we have a great premium product from the neighbourhood. Thanks to the canopy, the 35 to 40 calibre plum can ripen longer on the tree without us having to fear rain showers and corresponding damage. The great taste also makes the variety suitable for both fresh consumption and as a baked plum."
Schneider believes in the renaissance of the German plum. "We believe in the further development of plum varieties within our group. It is important that we create a feel-good package for both the grower and the customer, in which we show an uncompromising quality. The same applies to mirabelle plums, which have been on the rise again for a few years and are rapidly gaining importance in our group, especially in the Mainz region."
Some faces from the Frutania family (clockwise): Béatrice Schneider with the management team from the market barn, packaging expert Benno Friebe, Frutania site manager Marc Stracke and chef Romu from the market barn.
'Sparse' year 2022
As one of the largest marketers in Germany, the Frutania is also inevitably confronted with the exponential cost increases, which also became particularly noticeable in the winter in the self-marketing of the Marktscheune in Wachtberg. Schneider: "2022 was a very poor year in this respect, which in turn was due to consumer restraint. This year, marketing is running a little more smoothly and prices are also easier to realise. In the long term, we are now faced with the task of adjusting production to the future in a politically very different environment, but this is extremely difficult in practice. We have to expect minimum wages to rise to 14 euros/hour in the near future. At the same time, we live in an environment where consumers are very frugal with their finances. However, we firmly believe in our strategy and want to continue producing high quality fruit in the future."
(from left) Master fruit grower Martin Krupp, Tobias Linnemannstöns (Head of Supply Chain Management), Béatrice and Markus Schneider.
Young talent and further development
When it comes to the future, the issue of young talent is immensely important at Frutania and at grower level. "With the addition of Fruitfels, we now have a large producer network in the Oberkirch area. It's amazing how many fantastic young farmers are there with a lot of commitment and passion. This shows us that there is a lot of new blood in the entire Frutania Group. Of course, the structures in agriculture are changing. This is also why we founded the Frutania Academy, in order to promote people who bear responsibility with us and in the circle of our affiliated producers, and to show them new perspectives that broaden their horizons," Schneider concludes.
Further information:
Markus Schneider
Frutania GmbH
Heinrich-Lanz-Str. 3
D-53501 Grafschaft-Ringen
T +49(0)2641–9111–0
F +49(0)2641–9111–199
info@frutania.de
http://www.frutania.de