Polish apple grower and exporter Bracia Palus is a true family business, with the family splitting the various tasks within the company. The aim has been to bring Polish apples to the forefront both domestically and internationally, says Damian Palus, one of the brothers running the business: "Our orchard is a family business run by three brothers, me, and Rafał and Adrian Palus, in Marysin, in the Fajsławice commune in eastern Poland. We cultivate around 30 hectares of apples and have been doing so for several generations. Each of us is responsible for a different part of the daily work: crop protection, managing workers and harvest, machinery and service, and finally sales. From the beginning, we have focused on quality rather than volume. We try not to wait for others to promote Polish apples for us, we take responsibility ourselves, both in the orchard and in the way we present the fruit to consumers."
© Bracia Palus The three Palus brothers
Palus states that they've recently been able to register their apples as a traditional product. "Over the years, we have exported apples to distant markets, but at the same time we see a lot of potential in our domestic market. We want to show consumers how good Polish apples can be. Recently, our apples have been registered as a traditional product under the name 'Fajslawickie apples', which confirms the link between our fruit, the local microclimate of the Lublin Upland and the long tradition of apple growing in our area."
The location of Bracia Palus' orchard is what makes the apples unique, Palus explains: "Fajslawickie apples are all about origin and quality. Our orchards are located in a slightly higher and cooler area, characterized by a favorable temperature difference between day and night. This microclimate, combined with careful cultivation of the orchards, gives the fruit a very full, balanced flavor. We grow dessert varieties such as Gala, mainly Schniga Schnico, Red Delicious Jeromine and Red Jonaprince, as well as Jonagored and Idared. We attach great importance to uniform color, firmness and storability, but also to food safety."
© Bracia Palus On the right picture is Damian Palus
Next to exporting their apples to several markets, the company is currently focusing these specific apples to retail chains in Poland as well. "We export most of our harvest to distant markets outside Poland, with the help of our long standing partners. On our farm, we sort apples by size to maintain their quality. When it comes to apples from Fajsławice, we want to build recognition of this regional product among domestic and foreign consumers, and show them that apples from our region can compete in taste and quality in any market. We're currently in talks to introduce apples from Fajsławice to retail chains in Poland, while maintaining cooperation with our existing export partners."
Overall, the current season has been a pretty good one for the Polish grower, Palus says: "This season, we had a good harvest in terms of both yield and quality. I can say that this year's Polish apples are of high quality and we really have something to be proud of. The weather conditions in our region allowed the fruit to color well and reach the desired size, and the microclimate of the Lublin Upland once again translated into very good eating quality. In the spring, we were afraid of frost, but we used frost protection, and temperatures below zero were not so drastic in our orchards, so the volumes are good."
© Bracia Palus
"We also have Catalan hazelnuts in our portfolio, which everyone knows very well. Hazelnuts are a premium product that retail chains are eager to buy. I think that this is also where we see the future for the development of our company. We invest in packaging and branding: boxes and labels with the Fajslawickie apples logo, a website and promotional materials," Palus concludes.
For more information:
Damian Palus
Bracia Palus
Tel: +48 783 785 509
[email protected]
