The Rohrseitz family business has been at Frischezentrum Frankfurt since 1958 and is now its third generation is active, with Daniel Rohrseitz. A five-person team serves a variety of fine dining kitchens within a 50 km radius. These include airline caterers at Frankfurt Airport, event caterers, upscale restaurants, commercial kitchens and hotels.
Daniel Rohrseitz. Photo: Rohrseitz GmbH
Sales figures comparable to pre-Corona times
"Our customers at Frankfurt Airport are mainly interested in ready-to-cook cut products, but also in exotics, fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs. Regarding other catering customers, we can report consistently satisfied sales of products from our core range such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and fresh leaf lettuces such as lollo and iceberg, and cabbage as well. Commodities such as celery and leeks, which we source through another distributor here at the wholesale market, are of good quality." Vegetables include produce from the Palatine Market.
"This year's sales figures are comparable to pre-Corona times again. In the summer, we have even been able to double our sales compared to the winter. In the gastronomy sector, we can again look forward to daily orders." In general, business was 'amazingly good', even compared to the years before Corona, when business stagnated in October and November.
Prices back in the normal range
Rohrseitz's 
high-end kitchen customers continue to rely on raw produce, but demand for ready-made salad mixes such as 'wild herb salad or mini spinach' is also increasing. In large-scale catering, demand for ready-made products is increasing and higher sales can be recorded with cut products from the complete range of vegetables as well as with peeled potatoes. "Smaller restaurants or bistros are again interested in pre-cut lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, but in the winter season especially lamb's lettuce." Three to four weeks ago, tomatoes, cucumbers and other produce were significantly higher priced, he said. "Currently, prices are settling back to normal levels. There is no item that shows particularly high prices. Even the prices for exotics such as melons and pineapples are average again."
Photo right: Rohrseitz GmbH
Apart from that, Rohrseitz currently also offers mangoes from Brazil, but they are sold as ready-to-eat goods. "The price-performance ratio is right with the mangos. The flesh is nice and yellow and sweet. In contrast to the flight commodity, very expensive at the moment, whose quality is currently rather modest."
'Corona help' from the 'vegetable baron'
Shortly before 
the pandemic, Rohrseitz Ltd's largest customer bailed out, which led to considerable difficulties, such as four employees being missing. "Just one colleague was left behind, with whom I kept the business running for an entire year. During the pandemic, we came up with the idea of delivering our goods to end consumers in the form of fruit and vegetable boxes. For this purpose, we founded the online platform 'Vegetable Baron', which at least allowed us to keep our business going."
During the pandemic, Rohrseitz faced hard times as a catering supplier. Currently, however, things are going extremely well again, he said. At the same time, he said, he has been told by some importers that business has remained relatively the same. "Last week, it was relatively quiet at the fresh food center in Frankfurt. But of course, goods are still being sold," Rohrseitz concludes.
More information:
Daniel Rohrseitz
Rohrseitz GmbH
Frischezentrum Frankfurt
Josef-Eicher-Straße 10
60437 Frankfurt
info@rohrseitz-frankfurt.de
http://www.rohrseitz-frankfurt.de