Organic sweetcorn is seeing an average crop yield in northern Germany this year. The summer weather had no extraordinary influence on the quantity and quality of the product, as the people at Westhof Bio-Gemüse GmbH & Co. know. "The demand for organic sweetcorn is growing steadily, mostly in food retailing and discounting," says managing director Rainer Carstens.
The need for organic sweetcorn is difficult to cover, Carstens knows. "Therefore, we can not offer frozen products, which is one of our strengths in other vegetables." The largest part of the goods will be used for the barbecue season, from week 15 to 45. The harvest takes place between week 33 and week 45: "We got our own, first biodynamically grown sweetcorn from the field in week 39. This week we will finish the peak of the harvest."
There are many changes in packaging - not just regarding material, but regarding sizes also. Smaller households often demand smaller packaging sizes. Trendy product
s like berries tend to see larger packaging sizes. For corn, the typical vacuum packaging continues to be popular: "We offer 2 and 3 series containers, each with at least 400g weight. Other sizes or, for example, fresh corn have not been requested so far. "
Another product that is gaining in popularity and can be found on the market in a predominantly vacuum-packed package is beetroot. Westhof Bio also processes these. "Preparing fresh beetroots takes a considerable amount of time for the individual consumer, and cooking and vacuuming make them available all year round and easy to work with - and your fingers are not discolored either." An extended shelf life is also a key factor in the packaging of sweetcorn.
Beetroot appears in many places in the diets, as a local 'superfood'. Carstens also notes this trend: "We see a rise in sales through 'innovative' recipe ideas in the media, so that every consumer can find a preparation that tastes good, which makes them want to try something new - even with 'old' vegetable varieties."
For more information:
Rainer Carstens
Westhof Bio-Gemüse GmbH & Co. KG
Zum Westhof 6
D-25764 Friedrichsgabekoog
T +49 4839-9535-26
r.carstens@westhof-bio.de
www.westhof-biohandel.de