As the name "Bauer Funken" already suggests, the roots of the company from Kempen on the Lower Rhine lie in the cultivation of lettuce and vegetables, the origins of which date back to 1879. At the beginning of the 1980s, the company increasingly devoted itself to the processing sector and offers a range of 1,000 articles. "My father, Georg Funken, was a pioneer in salad and vegetable growing. He was one of the first to cultivate iceberg lettuce and broccoli on a large scale at a time when these products were hardly known in this country," explains authorised signatory Sebastian Funken. At the end of the 1980s, Bauer Funken moved to the site of a former sauerkraut factory and continued to develop his product range.
Alisa Flick (foodij) with Product Manager Alicia Cramer (Bauer Funken) and Georg Funken (Bauer Funken) at Anuga 2023
Good growing conditions in Kempen
"We are lucky that the soil around Kempen is extremely fertile and that there is a large production of lettuce and vegetables here, which means we can get the produce directly from the region. It is important to us to keep the delivery routes as short as possible so that we can process the fresh produce directly from the field," Funken emphasises. "We have 35 of our own refrigerated vehicles at our disposal, which are used to deliver our products throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. Furthermore, we also work together with various refrigerated forwarding companies, through which our articles are also marketed nationwide."
Although the interest in convenience products has definitely increased in recent years, there is still a lot of upside potential. "Our main customers are bulk consumers, such as canteen kitchens, hospitals, canteens as well as wholesalers. We are also represented in food retail, but more with to-go products, such as sandwiches, wraps, porridge, salad bowls and fruit salads, which are also produced by us in Kempen."
Delivery bottlenecks due to weather conditions
Despite the good general conditions in Kempen, the company had to accept bottlenecks for some products this year. "We had procurement difficulties with raw materials throughout the entire product range. Due to the rainfall, there were delivery problems with rocket in the summer. Currently, we are again having difficulties with tomatoes," says Funken. Farmer Funken is also certified organic. However, the demand for organic cut produce in community catering is very low, partly due to very fluctuating availability of raw materials. Freshness and regionality are also our priorities."
In addition to regional goods, the company also offers imported goods, which are supplied at the request of customers. "In winter, we receive salads from Spain, Italy and France, with some of which we have 20-year partnerships and have always enjoyed a close relationship of trust. Over 65 per cent of the produce we process comes from the region."
Gentle washing of the fresh salad mix
New challenges due to tolls and CO₂ tax
But even a successful company like Bauer Funken is not immune to price and cost increases. "The higher prices of raw materials, personnel and transport costs present us with some changes. It will have to be some time before we can pass on the extra costs. With the toll charge and the increase in the CO₂ tax in transport, the next challenges are already around the corner, which is why we have to cushion many costs ourselves." Contrary to this development, he said, the company is open to new products. "We are constantly optimising our products and move with an open ear to the market."
For more information:
Sebastian Funken
H. Funken GmbH & Co. KG
Industriering Ost 91
D-47906 Kempen
Telefon: 0049 21 52 - 914 99 0
E-Mail: info@bauerfunken.de
Webseite: https://www.bauerfunken.de