Growing asparagus at Asparagus is a family affair. “My grandfather used to grow them, along with vines and hops. Today, only the asparagus crops have survived, and we now also produce cereals, strawberries and field tomatoes,” explains Jean-Paul Bruché, manager of the farm. This spring vegetable grows particularly well on our land. “We benefit from the alluvial soils of the Moselle river, which are ideally suited to asparagus crops. We are also lucky enough to have a water table 2 meters above ground level, which enables the roots to come up to the soil and draw the water that the plants need.”
Cultivation in tunnels for a regular production
Jean-Paul Bruché cultivates 5 hectares of asparagus (two-thirds of white asparagus and one-third of green asparagus). It is now the end of the 2023 campaign, which was made difficult by the wide variations in temperature. “It has been very cold at night and rather mild during the day. It is a good thing we grow under thermal cover, because it has saved our harvest. Yields would have otherwise been catastrophic. This technique also allows us to gain in earliness and to regularize our production, which is a big advantage when doing direct sales.”
Selling daily asparagus is a real asset for producers
Asparagus has made direct sales its specialty. “We sell approximately 70% of our production at the farm, 15% to farm stores and the other 15% at open-air markets. But what makes us special is that we offer fresh daily asparagus: picked in the morning and sold in the afternoon. This unrivaled freshness is what attracts so many customers, including some of the finest restaurants who come to buy directly from us.”
This original approach certainly enables Asparagus to stand out from the crowd, but it comes with a considerable logistical burden. “We start picking early in the morning and we supply the store twice in the morning so the asparagus does not spend too much time in the fields once picked, and to pack it as early as possible. In other words, we pick at 7am, sort at 10am and sell at 1.30pm. This method sets us apart from supermarket chains, which are unable to offer such fresh asparagus. It is a real advantage for producers to be able to offer daily asparagus.”
Direct sales turnover increases every year
Direct sales have been steadily increasing. “First of all, we do not have to deal with the same type of clientele as with our supermarket clients. The customers who come to the farm are much less demanding when it comes to the visual aspect of the products. As a result, there are far fewer production discrepancies, and less food waste. Our customers understand that if an asparagus is not perfectly straight, it can still be very fresh. We also have not changed our prices in 4 years, despite the rise in production costs. For the time being, this is still possible, but we cannot cut our margins indefinitely.
"Another important point is that we have noticed an increase in sales since planting our asparagus by the side of the road. People like to see for themselves where their vegetables come from and how they are produced. It reassures them. They need to regain some confidence in what they eat. Witnessing the hard work of harvesting also makes them understand why asparagus are a more expensive product, as they require a certain know-how and are very labor-intensive. This makes it much easier for them to see that the price is justified. Thanks to this trust, this awareness, along with the freshness and the regularity of our prices, we have been increasing our direct sales turnover every year.”
For more information:
Jean-Paul Bruché
Asparagus
jeanpaulbruche@orange.fr