Germany: Winter vegetables in high demand

“We supply caterers and various educational institutions such as schools and kindergartens with fresh food almost daily,” says Tim Keller, “We notice an increase in the orders for forgotten vegetables. Our customers want to cook again with what is available on the market in the country.” That means less import and more home grown and regional produce. “The demand for strawberries in December has been decreasing among our customers,” states Keller, “Cooking according to the seasons is in high demand.”

And the offer on the market is large, explains Keller. “At the moment, while the lettuce season is ending, the supply of winter vegetables increases sharply,” states the wholesaler. “An increased variety of cabbage, such as kale, Chinese cabbage, white cabbage or kohlrabi is on offer right now. And also vegetables like leeks or celery are available."

The prices of the cabbage varieties are going down, states the expert. “At the moment we are at the point that we have to be careful, just to be sure you still make a profit,” continues Keller. “However the leeks are still relatively expensive.” And there is room to improve the quality. “The leeks are still very small and thin. The producers currently can’t meet the demand.” 

It is difficult to predict precisely how this will develop in the next few weeks, explains Keller. “You can only act on what is selling at the moment. Many customers buy the winter vegetables now, but how it will look in one or two months is difficult to say."