The official presentation at Fruit Attraction 2025 in Madrid marked the start of the first marketing season for the new apple concept, Pompur. Just a few months later, the apple innovation, a joint project between ZIN (Züchtungsinitiative Niederelbe), Elbe-Obst, and MAL (Marktgemeinschaft Altes Land), won the prestigious FLIA Innovation Award at the world's leading trade fair, Fruit Logistica. This was both an absolute milestone and an encouragement for the Altes Land pome fruit industry, especially in what has otherwise been a rather difficult marketing year.
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Lars Koopmann (center) and team at this year's Fruit Logistica. The brand is managed by his agency Green Gurillas, which specializes in innovative and high-quality fruit and vegetable breeding.
Breeding: Pompur opens up a new target group
Behind Pompur are the two varieties ZIN 168 and ZIN 186, which combine good taste properties and proven compatibility for people with apple allergies. Both varieties have been certified as allergy-friendly by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF), meaning that millions of people who previously had to avoid fresh apples can now enjoy this popular fruit without hesitation. ZIN Managing Director Maik Stölken is convinced of the apple's high marketing potential: "With Pompur, we are opening up the apple market to a new target group – without compromising on taste, quality or safety."
© ZIN/M. Schmoldt
ZIN 186 on the tree
Cultivation: Capacity scaling already planned
Matthias Schmoldt, a passionate fruit grower and ZIN member from the very beginning, also believes in the marketing potential of the new apple. On his own fruit farm, Schmoldt already grows the two varieties ZIN 168 and ZIN 186 on almost three hectares, which are marketed under the new umbrella brand Pompur. "The ZIN 168 is slightly sweeter in taste, medium-sized, and tastes good straight from the tree. It is usually harvested relatively early, i.e., before Elstar, and is also suitable for the first two months of the marketing season. ZIN 186, on the other hand, is slightly more robust and larger in size and is particularly suitable for later marketing due to its excellent storage qualities. Based on the results so far, there is no significant tendency toward alternation in either variety."
Currently, both varieties are already being grown by around 70 producers in the Altes Land region on a total of approximately 100 hectares. According to Schmoldt, the interest of producers is particularly high, so further new plantings and area expansions will follow in the coming years. He also emphasizes that Pompur offers producers an attractive overall concept. "ZIN producers are allowed to market up to 20 percent of their total yield directly, either in their own farm shops or at weekly markets. This is a significant difference from classic licensed varieties. In addition, ZIN also offers producers the opportunity to exchange experiences. After all, the exchange of knowledge and experience is one of the important cornerstones of ZIN."
© ZIN/M. Schmoldt
ZIN 168 on the tree
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Elbe-Obst is also a member of the Züchtungsinitiative Niederelbe (ZIN) and one of the suppliers of Pompur for the food retail trade. The fruit growers in the producer organization will plant more trees in the future, because "the target group includes not only allergy sufferers, but also their family members living in the same household," says Jens Anderson (right), marketing manager at Elbe-Obst. This is because the product characteristics of Pompur (e.g., taste) are also attractive to the general population.
Marketing: High consumer demand contributes to sales security
As a founding member of ZIN (Züchtungsinitiative Niederelbe), Schliecker is one of the selected license marketers of the new apple innovation Pompur. The allergy-friendly apple has already been honored with the prestigious FLIA Innovation Award at this year's Fruit Logistica. "With Pompur, we are well prepared for the future: According to research, the number of allergy sufferers will only continue to increase in the coming years, and with it the demand for allergy-friendly alternatives such as Pompur."
The company can look back on a successful first year of marketing. "Thanks to numerous retail promotions starting in November, the entire trading volume of over 450 tons was completely sold out by week 6. This result indicates that the concept was very well received by consumers," says Managing Director Jürgen Schliecker in response to our inquiry. The good marketing results also offer producers a certain degree of sales security, he continues. "Accordingly, our producers will be planting additional new trees."
© Schliecker GmbH & Co. Fruchthandels KG
Marketing: 'Market launch campaign was a great success'
Pompur's marketing concept, developed by Lars Koopmann and his Hamburg-based agency Green Gurillas, aims to position the brand as an innovative, allergy-friendly apple brand with clear differentiation in the market. In addition to a strong brand message and emotional appeal, Pompur has a targeted presence at trade fairs and congresses and actively supports its retail partners in communication and market development. Other focal points include PR work, social media, and online marketing to sustainably expand visibility and reach.
© MESSE BERLIN/L. KOOPMANN
The results so far are impressive: at the market launch, over 50 leading media outlets reported on Pompur, including Tagesschau.de, RTL, SAT.1, NDR, WDR, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Instagram post by Tagesschau.de received more than 93,000 likes and was shared over 40,000 times. On the first day of sales in food retail, an RTL television crew also accompanied the launch. Lars Koopmann (right) from Green Gurillas explains, "The market launch campaign was a great success. We are particularly moved by feedback from customers who were able to eat apples again for the first time in many years and cried with happiness."
Koopmann continues: "We specifically target people with apple allergies, their families, and conscious connoisseurs—because Pompur is the only apple brand that reaches 100 percent of the apple target group and at the same time impresses with an excellent taste profile."
For more information:
https://www.pompur.de/
www.schliecker-fruchthandel.de
http://www.zin-info.de/
https://www.elbe-obst.de/
https://www.obsthof-schmoldt.de/
