For 20 years now, the company Ludwig Schenk has been supplying retailers, wholesalers, restaurateurs, and institutional caterers in a wide radius with all kinds of cut produce. What once began as a modest production facility to supplement the traditional fruit and vegetable wholesale business has grown over the years to become one of the leading production sites for fresh and cut fruits and vegetables in southwestern Germany. Today, the integrated machine park comprises over 30 machines and can produce up to ten tons of fruit, vegetables, and salad per day. Even after almost 60 years, the local wholesale market in Karlsruhe remains the hub of the business.
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Due to staff shortages in the catering and communal catering sectors, further growth in the fresh-cut sector is expected in the coming years.
The current cutting facility was opened in 2013. As part of the new construction, the machinery was also greatly expanded and brought up to the latest standards. "We have almost every piece of equipment in duplicate so that we can continue to deliver even in the event of any breakdowns. Our range of fresh-cut products now includes over 450 product specifications in various cut types, including julienne, slices, and much more. Vegetables and lettuce account for the largest share of sales in the fresh-cut sector, but we also offer a growing range of fresh-cut fruit," explains Stefan Ewald, quality manager at the company.
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The geographical proximity to recognized machine suppliers such as Kronen and Koenig is an advantage in terms of maintenance.
In terms of lettuce, they are now gradually switching from German to imported produce, Ewald continues. "We are firmly anchored in the region and attach great importance to our relationship with regional producers. Apart from winter salads, we mainly rely on goods of Spanish and Italian origin outside the season. Fortunately, we have been spared major bottlenecks and delivery problems this season. There have also been no significant price fluctuations recently, either downwards or upwards."
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The company employs a total of around 80 people.
Round-the-clock operation
Thanks to the symbiosis between the 'traditional' fruit and vegetable wholesale business and the cut produce business, Schenk can operate around the clock. In the fresh-cut sector, the largest quantities are required on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Stefan Ewald: "True to the motto 'everything from a single source,' the lion's share of our customers purchase both crates and cut produce from us. This creates clear synergies. Nowadays, delivery is an advantage for customers, although we still have customers who like the classic wholesale market atmosphere and prefer to pick up their goods on site for that reason alone."
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In addition to machine processing (approx. 90%), Schenk also processes fruit and vegetables by hand (e.g., fruit and vegetable spears, halved peppers, and coarse cubes) using smaller hand tools.
Organic ready-cuts on the rise thanks to legal requirements
In the long term, some interesting trends are emerging, Ewald continues. "We are seeing increasing demand for organic ready-cuts, partly due to legal requirements. In Baden-Württemberg, there is an administrative regulation (VwV Kantine) for state-owned canteens, according to which the proportion of organic regional food should increase to 30-40%."
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.comThe fleet currently consists of just under 20 vehicles. The trend in deliveries continues to rise.
Compared to conventional products, the organic sector is very much bound by seasonality and regionality. "This means that more communication with customers is necessary if something is missing. For example, we offer an organic lettuce mix that only contains lettuce that is currently available. This is, of course, an entirely different dynamic than in the conventional sector, where almost everything is always available."
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A look at the modern cutting operation with a multihead weigher
Trendy items come and go
The company strives to adapt to changing requirements with attractive product innovations. "We see trendy items coming and going in the fresh-cut sector. Sticks and vegetable spaghetti were temporarily in vogue, but the latter item is now hardly in demand at all. As far as cutting types and product variations are concerned, no general trend can be identified. We have simply noticed that everyone is trying to stand out from the crowd with special requests and unique product shapes. Our task is and remains to continue to meet these customer-specific requirements."
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Part of the Schenk workforce with Stefan Ewald (2nd from right, Quality Management) and senior boss Santo Di Gregorio (far right), who handed over the baton to his son Antonino in 2016.
For more information:
Stefan Ewald
L. Schenk GmbH & Co. KG
Karlsruhe Wholesale Market
Phone 0721 96157 0
[email protected]
www.firma-schenk.de
