For two weeks now, Brussels sprouts have been diligently harvested again on the Detter farm in Absdorf, Lower Austria. "After the strong crop year of 2022, this year we have the special situation that there was about 22 mm of precipitation after planting, which in turn has meant that, unlike previous years (FreshPlaza.de reported), we have hardly any problems with whiteflies and have had to use very little plant protection product during the summer months. Accordingly, we have had very great yields and nice qualities so far. In this respect, growing Brussels sprouts this year is already fun," says Stefan Detter, the company's managing director.
Last year Detter expanded Brussels sprouts to a total of 36 ha, and this year the cabbage vegetable is growing and thriving on 28 ha. "We were able to sell our Brussels sprouts into March this year, which was a bit too long considering the lower demand. The quality of the produce was then also not so nice in the end. The topic of Brussels sprouts in Austria is also traditionally very strongly related to game dishes. Cool, wet weather usually has a positive effect on demand. In October, demand is still somewhat restrained, throughout December until Epiphany is still the strongest sales month. Then at the end of January to mid-February there is a second increase in demand, after which the season usually draws to a close."
Stefan Detter is Austria's largest Brussels sprouts producer and supplies food retailers throughout Austria. He has also done trials with other specialty cabbages, such as Flower Sprouts and Bimi, but he has taken these crops out of the growing schedule again for several reasons.
Increasing efficiency in preparation and packaging
Despite the encouraging profit situation, Detter's vegetable farm is also confronted with cost pressures. "Energy costs have sometimes tripled, while we were only able to negotiate a slight price increase." Here, he says, it is now a matter of reducing operating costs where possible. "Because of the good qualities, we have fewer plastering costs. In addition, we switched to a new cup format this year. The cups are taller and narrower. We've also invested in appropriate form-fill-seal technology, which is why we can pack the more volume faster and more efficiently."
Increasing self-sufficiency
Although he doesn't have specific numbers, Detter says there has been a noticeable increase in the acceptance of homegrown cabbage sprouts. "Sales have increased in recent years, in part due to the fact that food retailers are heavily advertising regionality. A few years ago, the self-sufficiency rate was around 30 percent; today, Austrian cabbage sprouts have a market share around an estimated 50 percent. You can also see it at the point of sale: there is now very little imported product from the Netherlands during the domestic season," he concludes.
For more information:
Stefan Detter
Fruchthof Detter
Kremserstr. 96
3462 Absdorf
Telefon/Fax: 02278/2554
E-Mail: office@detter-fruchthof.at
Web: www.detter-fruchthof.at