The marketing season for German apples has been rather subdued so far. "Sales on the domestic market have been fairly modest to date. Until the beginning of December, there were hardly any promotions in stores. We now hope that the increased advertising frequency in the run-up to Christmas and in January, as part of German Apple Day on January 11, will provide new impetus. However, a recovery in the market with a possible price increase is not expected until February/March," reports Sven Umlandt, co-managing director of the family business of the same name based in the Altes Land region. The market situation for pears is somewhat more positive.
© Umlandt Obstgroßhandel GmbH
In terms of alternation, the bountiful apple harvest in 2025 is likely to be followed by a smaller harvest in 2026.
Due to the bountiful yields, the current producer prices are far from sufficient, Umlandt continues. Many fruit growers, therefore, have to fall back on any buffers they were able to carry over from the previous year, which was quite good. "We are sometimes just above the industry price, which is particularly painful in our calculations. We have consistently good quality this year, although the sizes are slightly smaller overall. With Elstar in particular, we have proportionally less 70/80 grade fruit for laying and foodtainers, which means we have to put in more effort into sorting. In the Jonagold category, the fruit sizes are mostly average, so there are only a few oversized fruits (90+) at the end of the day."
Disillusionment after a smooth transition into the season
After a relatively smooth transition into the season with consistently good quality and quantities, disillusionment soon followed, says Umlandt in retrospect. "We initially assumed normal yields, which is why we started the season with correspondingly normal, relatively acceptable prices. The turning point came halfway through the harvest, when the volume forecasts were revised upwards, and it became clear that we were expecting a record harvest. As a result, prices fell sharply within two to three weeks from the end of September."
© Umlandt Obstgroßhandel GmbHInsight into the Umlandt sorting and storage center. The company also has state-of-the-art ULO storage facilities.
Independent and agile
For 45 years now, Umlandt has been primarily dedicated to the procurement and marketing of regionally produced apples and pears. The focus is on the standard varieties Elstar, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Co. Its customers mainly include packaging companies and wholesale markets throughout Germany. "We operate exclusively on the free market and are not bound by any cooperative or regulations. This allows us to operate independently and agilely in the market," says Umlandt. This is clearly also appreciated by producers. "In recent years, we have seen a good influx of new producer partners and have been able to expand our supplier portfolio accordingly."
© Umlandt Obstgroßhandel GmbH
The management of Umlandt. From left to right: Heino, Lars, Sven, and Nils Umlandt
For more information:
Sven Umlandt
Umlandt Obstgroßhandel GmbH
Schöneworth 1
21729 Freiburg/Elbe
Mobile: +49 (0) 172/3193270
Email: [email protected]
web: www.umlandt-obstgrosshandel.de
