3.1 million kg of peppers is the harvest estimate of the five growers on the German isle of Reichenau, who joined forces in 2012, as announced by the local newspaper 'Südkurier'. "These are the quantities we wanted to reach. We planned for three million kilograms," Matthias Keller, one of the horticulturists, says. However, he is also happy that the first year is now over. "It was a successful first year, which cost a lot of effort. It is good that this year is a bit more quiet."
In 2008, the five horticulturists had the idea to build a large hothouse exclusively for the cultivation of peppers. Later on (in the beginning of 2012) when Edeka showed interest in regionally grown peppers, the idea became reality. "These days one needs a buyer before producing anything," Keller says. The large project needed an investment volume of 15 million Euro. The peppers are grown in accordance with the principle of integrated production. The aim is to dispense with chemical plant protection means by means of modern techniques.
For the coming years, Keller expects an increase in efficiency from the workers in the hothouse. With the harvest figures there is hardly any potential for an increase. "Compared to Dutch colleagues we are now already in the top 3," says Keller. The growers will now be trying to improve the quality by more accurate prognosis of the time of the harvest and the quality thereof. This may shorten the period of storage with the result, that the peppers are fresher when arriving at the supermarket.