"I'm a small wholesale store in my own right," laughs Jürgen Meinert, vegetable wholesaler and managing director of the company of the same name in the heart of Nuremberg's Knoblauchsland. About half of his turnover is generated by supplying regional, mainly owner-managed food retail stores. The cash-and-carry store and delivery each account for 25 percent. "As a regional wholesaler, we mainly supply restaurateurs, specialist retailers, and the like throughout northern Bavaria. Our cash-and-carry store is used by many farm shops and restaurants within a radius of 80 km. Our customer-friendly opening hours are a big advantage: we are open from 7:00 to 18:00."
In addition to the flourishing wholesale business, Meinert also runs his own vegetable farm on approximately 15 hectares. The portfolio mainly includes field-grown crops such as leeks, runner beans, carrots, white and red cabbage, and radishes. The main focus is on crops that do not necessarily have to be harvested daily. "We have the advantage that we can determine this ourselves, especially since we produce wholesale purely for our own needs. I am, so to speak, my own main customer, which in turn contributes to a high degree of flexibility."
Jürgen Meinert has been managing the family business since 2013 and has developed it into a fully-fledged wholesale business. Nowadays, his range includes a total of around 250 items.
All in all, Meinert can look back on a strong year in 2024: "We were able to record a pleasing increase in sales, although the renewed increase in costs – primarily wages and energy – largely ate up the profit. In this respect, the increases in sales were also necessary to keep the company healthy." 2024 was also a challenging year at the production level. "As is well known, it was a very wet year, also in our region. As a result, we had to irrigate very little, but we were confronted with an increased risk of disease in vegetable growing, especially in the case of outdoor lettuce." According to Meinert, the more difficult conditions in the coming decade will lead to structural change, i.e., a decline in the number of producers.
Insight into the Meinert GmbH product range. Clockwise from top left: leeks from their own production, parsnips, Franconian sweet potatoes from a befriended farmer, and beetroot. There has been an increase in sales of around 30 percent for the latter item compared to the previous year.
Monday, Thursday, and Friday are the traditional peak days in wholesale, Meinert continues. Meanwhile, he does not see any significant developments in the individual sales segments. "Sales to the catering industry are going well, although many still work with restricted opening hours. The situation is also quite stable in the area of weekly markets and specialist shops. In particular, those with good service and a good range of products are still doing well."
Mini cucumbers from local growers. The first home-grown cucumbers are available in early April. The range of tomatoes is also well known and popular in summer, with around 20 different varieties from production partner Schaller Gemüse.
For more information:
Jürgen Meinert
Meinert GmbH
Kraftshofer Hauptstraße 205
90427 Nuremberg
Tel. +49 911 - 30 62 00
Fax +49 911 - 30 37 54
[email protected]
www.meinert-gemuese.de
