A few months ago, Kronenfrucht Ltd, an established company in the Rhine-Main region, was taken over by A&S Fine Food Ltd. The site at Frischezentrum Frankfurt and the staff of the catering supplier were included in the takeover as well. "In the course of the takeover, we have not only considerably expanded our catchment area in the catering supply sector, but also increased the clout of our company," says Managing Director Abbas Safaei.
Safaei has been supplying fresh fruit and vegetables to major banks, restaurants, vegetable markets and retailers for over 35 years. Since 2018, he has been at the helm of A&S Fine Food Ltd, which also includes the subsidiary 'Die Obstkiste am Markt'. Under the latter name, he is represented at various weekly markets such as those in Wiesbaden, Königstein, Oberursel and Neu Isenburg. Safaei: "We not only run our own weekly market stalls, but also supply regional weekly market traders with a wide variety of fruit and vegetables."
Abbas Safaei during FreshPlaza's visit to the wholesale market in July 2024. Kronenfrucht will now continue to operate under its established name as a catering delivery service.
Additional products are becoming more important
According to Safaei, there is a gradual trend towards additional products such as oils and dressings in the catering sector, although fruit and vegetables still account for well over 90 per cent of total sales. Most of the produce is purchased from the traders and producers in the central market hall of the Frankfurt Fresh Produce Centre. "The classic seasonal items, such as asparagus and currently chanterelles, are still very popular at the weekly markets. The weekly markets are also very dependent on the weather: Now that the weather is turning summery, it's fun and the markets are more frequented."
Lack of new employees
Safaei confirms that recruiting new employees for the fruit and vegetable trade is and remains a major challenge. "Finding lorry drivers for deliveries in particular is extremely difficult. We have now been able to increase our team of drivers somewhat following the takeover of Kronenfrucht, but it still happens that I have to drive myself. However, we are feeling the effects of this shortage of primarily young junior staff in all areas of the company, including at management level."
For more information:
Abbas Safaei
A&S Fine Food GmbH powered by Kronenfrucht
Frischezentrum Frankfurt:
Mobile Abbas Safaei : 0176 56913113
Mobile Ann-Kathrin Heidt: 0176 73531998
Order no.: 0160 7065082
[email protected]