At the beginning/mid-November, Smolik Obst- und Gemüse switched its range of colorful lettuces at the Freiburg wholesale market from the German to the French season. "We still offer local tunnel products, but the German products are coming to an end. The catering trade has already been enthusiastic about the French lettuces, both in terms of quality and the size of the heads. There were still problems with lettuce at the start of the season, but the situation is gradually easing. Lettuces from France are also still quite expensive. They are around 30 percent more expensive than German produce," Managing Director Enrico Smolik explains.
The team around Managing Director Enrico Smolik (2nd from left). Photo: SMOLIK Obst- und Gemüs.
More subdued market situation
A top seller from the region at the moment is lamb's lettuce. "We get some of our endive from a supplier in the Palatinate, who sources the produce from Italy. In general, we are currently sourcing more vegetables from Italy and Spain, as the German supply is gradually running out. We were able to move seamlessly into the season as France was able to offer sufficient produce. Prices are a little higher, but there is no major price war like in some other years."
Most weekly market customers prefer to buy lettuce and oak leaf green and red. "The food service industry is more interested in Lollo Rosso/Lollo Bionda and mixed salads. There were definitely times when we sold more iceberg lettuce. Sales of lettuce are also down slightly, but we are currently in a transitional phase. Sales will certainly pick up again from Christmas. The season should really get going again from January at the latest, as people will have had enough of lamb's lettuce by then." The general price level of his range is roughly comparable to that of the previous year.
The mood at the wholesale market is good; buying behavior is somewhat subdued due to the season. "There's not much going on on Tuesdays at the moment. Of course, there is also a lack of customers interested in berries and similar products. As soon as things start up again in spring, we'll be in good spirits again. At the same time, company canteens and other kitchens are closed at Christmas. However, this will probably not have too much of an impact on sales volumes, as we will be able to achieve higher sales at the weekly markets again. We also have to remain flexible at all times so that we can react quickly to the market situation."
The wholesale company's range of lettuces.
Retaining employees
"Finding employees is not easy. This is probably not least due to our working hours. Nevertheless, we fortunately have a very reliable and loyal team, which we also nurture and care for. We have been able to give them a pay rise every year so far. We also held a summer party and a Christmas party last week. Such celebrations bring people together and the good atmosphere is appreciated by the customers as well. After all, our drivers also are the face of our company to the outside world."
It was a very mixed but solid year, according to Smolik. "We were even able to gain new customers. Our customer base ranges from restaurants to school caterers, bakeries and butchers, which means we can sell our entire range. We haven't had any unusual requests, but we always focus on what our customers want."
For more information:
Enrico Smolik
SMOLIK Obst- und Gemüse GmbH
Robert-Bunsen-Str. 7
79108 Freiburg
Tel.: 0761-59035960
Fax: Fax 0761-59035977
Email: e.smolik@smolik-obst.de
Internet: www.smolik-obst.de