Fruchthof Northeim in southern Lower Saxony is celebrating a special milestone this year: Long-time managing director Lutz Hasenbeck joined the former company in Hamelin as branch manager in 1964, took over the management of the parent company in Northeim in 1975, and became the owner a few years later. This means that the jubilarian has not only been at the helm of a recognized service provider in the world of fresh produce for half a century, but can also look back on a total of 60 years of experience in the fruit industry.
As an experienced fruit merchant, Hasenbeck also witnessed the 'good old days' before the creeping structural change of the 1980s at first hand. "At the beginning of my career, procurement and marketing still mostly took place without a closed cold chain. That would be absolutely unthinkable today. However, bananas were already an important commodity at that time and were still mainly shipped to Europe in bunches by sea freight. They were then ripened using heat and water. At that time, it was important to have good connections in the southern European countries of origin, Italy, Spain, and France, while connections to overseas producers were mainly handled by traditional import companies."
© Fruchthof Northeim
The trio at the helm of Fruchthof Northeim: Lutz Hasenbeck (right) now runs the company together with his two sons, Marc and Nils.
Banana ripening and packing station for bulk buyers
In the years that followed, the vehicle fleet and storage areas were gradually equipped with refrigeration systems. Meanwhile, the product range became more and more diverse. "An essential breakthrough was the introduction of electronic data processing (EDP) in the mid-1970s," recalls Hasenbeck, who at the time mainly served customers in the retail, wholesale, and market trade sectors. "However, a lot changed, especially in the mid-1980s, when the food retail trade became self-sufficient. The founding of CF Gastro in 1998 marked an important consolidation of forces, enabling us to offer nationwide service through experienced member companies. Our core competencies shifted increasingly to the service sector, with banana ripening and a packing station for bulk buyers at the heart of our company. Even today, we continue to invest in our vehicle fleet, storage, and digitization."
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A look at the company's modern vehicle fleet
Growing demand for comprehensive services
Fruchthof Northeim's diverse customer base now includes commercial kitchens, hospitals, barracks, hotels, restaurants, and caterers. The company's sales area covers the federal states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. "Geographically speaking, there are no significant differences between the individual regions. Nowadays, growth potential can only be achieved by offering a comprehensive service package around the clock," emphasizes Hasenbeck, referring to the increasing competition in the fruit industry. Banana ripening remains an essential service, but pre-ripening other fruits, such as stone fruits or exotic fruits, is not an option for the traditional company at this time.
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The company's headquarters have been located in Northeim in southern Lower Saxony for decades. It also has branches in Mühlhausen (Thuringia) and Hildesheim (Lower Saxony).
Trend towards ready-to-cook raw produce
He resolutely dismisses any suggestion of serious fluctuations at the marketing level. "The current financial year is proceeding in much the same way as the previous year. People will always eat, and prices continue to be determined by supply and demand. In global fruit and vegetable production, nature constantly ensures certain ups and downs. That has always been the case and will remain so. In the longer term, the proportion of ready-to-cook raw produce is likely to increase, primarily due to staffing problems in many areas. We are also responding to this trend with a wide selection of convenience products from a single source," he concludes.
Weitere Information:
Lutz Hasenbeck
FRUCHTHOF NORTHEIM GmbH & Co. KG
Industriestraße 6
37154 Northeim
Tel +49 (0) 5551 9805-0
[email protected]
www.fruchthof-northeim.de