Marco Henschke, Managing Director of Macoo Obst-, Gemüse- & Blumengroßhandel Ltd from Dresden, spoke to FreshPlaza about the current berry and potato season and the cultivation of sweet potatoes in Germany.
Despite the pandemic, Macoo was able to open two more stores in Erfurt and Berlin. "It comes at a cost, of course, but things are going better by the day. We have definitely used the time to invest in new things, because it is clear that the Corona era will also be over again at some point. People will also be looking for good suppliers again," says Marco Henschke from Macoo.
Marco Henschke. Photo: Macoo Ltd
Few strawberries, extremely high prices
As with many other farms, the rather frosty weather of the past months also affected Macoo. "In April and May, we had very few strawberries at extremely high prices. We have not been able to sell even half the amount of what we sold last year this year. But in return, we made significantly more on them this year."
Sufficient quantities of blueberries and raspberries
Blueberries and raspberries will be available in satisfactory quantities in Germany, Henschke said. "There are also enough from the northern European region, and cultivation has even increased a bit. Morocco and Spain are through now. There are only a few bottlenecks at the moment because Germany, Holland and Poland are not yet ready." When asked if there are any notable new varieties on the market, Henschke told FreshPlaza, "Outdoor raspberries are being grown less and less because the extreme weather changes make cultivation difficult to plan. Instead, tunnel cultivation is being practiced all the more. There won't be much change for at least the next two years."
Location at the Berlin wholesale market in Moabit. Photo: Macoo Ltd
Delayed potato harvest
The potato harvest was somewhat delayed this year, which was also due to the cold weather. Henschke: "In the calendar week 22/23 the harvest has started, so two to three weeks later than in previous years, which is also due to the cold. Due to this, the Cypriots are still running for the next six weeks. They are usually done by the end of June, although this time it will be two to four weeks longer. From that point of view, there will be no bottleneck. Varieties like Spunta, Nicola, Annabelle are doing well because everything has been delayed."
While that sounds pretty good, Henschke is still only cautiously optimistic. "We are standing today where we should have been three four weeks ago. However, we will probably be able to make up for the loss of sales from the spring due to the delayed harvest. There's definitely still some way to go."
Sweet potato production in Germany
"We have some growers here who have been growing sweet potatoes for two or three years without any problems in some regions. It works, but cultivation is much more expensive than in Egypt or Spain. Most of it will actually still go through Spain, Egypt and the U.S., where there are also completely different price segments. For the catering industry in particular, it basically doesn't matter where the sweet potatoes come from. Unfortunately, the prices are of prime importance here."
Location in Erfurt. Photo: Macoo Ltd
For more information:
Macoo Obst-, Gemüse- & Blumengroßhandel GmbH 
Marco Henschke
Spitzhausstraße 74
01139 Dresden
Tel: 0351 83974 - 0
Fax: 0351 83974 - 50
E-Mail: info@macoo.de