After a promising start to the German herb harvest in the open field, the sometimes extreme weather events of recent weeks have left their mark. "All locations, whether here in Bornheim, in Franconia, or in the Spree Forest, started the season as planned and recorded consistent quantities and qualities in the first phase of the harvest. However, the sudden heatwave at the end of July severely affected some crops. In the worst cases, we were actually unable to harvest certain fields. In this respect, the campaign so far has been very different from last year, when the harvest got off to a rather slow start but recovered strongly as the season progressed," reports Artur Lammert, co-managing director of Dreesen Frische Kräuter GmbH & Co. KG.
© Dreesen KräuterThe first German chives from outdoor cultivation were already available at the end of April. From the end of September, this year's outdoor harvest will gradually come to an end, after which there will be a switch to imported goods from southern Europe and East Africa. Pictured: Lemon balm in a polytunnel.
Dill in particular has suffered greatly recently. Lammert: "It is a delicate and therefore more sensitive crop. Although I don't have exact figures yet, there were sometimes total losses in individual batches. Although we are fortunate to have several locations in different growing regions in Germany, it was sometimes challenging to meet demand. In other years, we were always able to fall back on imports from Spain and Italy in the event of a shortage of goods. However, due to the record heat, there was also very little produce available in Spain this year, so supply shortages were already becoming apparent in some cases. We now rely on a wide range of varieties for each individual crop to counteract the effects of climate change."
The supply situation for other herbs was more favorable, Lammert continues. "There was sufficient supply of flat-leaf parsley, for example, so there was a certain amount of marketing pressure. In line with the supply situation, however, prices for dill rose sharply. In general, we are seeing continued growth in demand for specialty crops such as basil, flat-leaf parsley, and dill in the summer. However, we are also seeing growth in rosemary and thyme, which are increasingly being promoted at the point of sale as barbecue herbs for meat and fish. Basil benefits particularly from tomato promotions, which are usually run at regular intervals throughout the year."
© Dreesen KräuterDreesen's bunched herbs are mainly available in flow packs or sustainable plastic trays. In addition to sustainability, shelf life and product protection are important parameters when it comes to product packaging.
Dreesen Frische Kräuter GmbH & Co. KG is primarily dedicated to the procurement and marketing of bunched herbs and cress. In addition to its own German production and imports from Southern Europe and East Africa, the family-owned company has been cooperating for two years now with Leafood, a state-of-the-art, CO₂-neutral vertical farm in Lithuania. Lammert: "This cooperation helps us to cover certain peaks in demand for selected products such as basil and microgreens." The selection of cress is being expanded little by little. "The latest innovations include pea and garlic cress. Our cress finds its way to consumers through several sales channels, including food retailers, restaurants, and processing companies, and demand continues to grow as the product meets today's health and nutrition trends."
© Dreesen Kräuter
The Dreesen Kräuter team at the Gemüsering stand at this year's Fruit Logistica. Far left: Artur Lammert; second from right: Robert Dreesen.
Visit the company at Fruit Attraction at the Gemüsering stand: 8B05
For more information:
Artur Lammert
Dreesen Frische Kräuter GmbH & Co KG
Rosental 30
53332 Bornheim
Tel.: (0 22 27) 91 87 68
[email protected]
http://www.dreesen.de