For some farms, this year's strawberry season began with higher prices than last year. The asparagus & strawberry farm of the Gänger family from Niedermotzing was one of these. "We tried to keep prices as constant as possible to boost sales. The wet spring led to a slow start to sales, although we were able to offer larger quantities again from May onwards," Benedikt Gänger tells us.
"In late June/early July, sales were down somewhat, as raspberries, blackberries, and other summer fruits came out from many different places, and traders adjusted their assortment accordingly. Since mid-July, however, sales have been at steady levels."
Hans and Benedikt Gänger
Strawberries available until late September
Due to the cold weather in spring, the harvest started later. "Since those times, the weather was very favorable for growing, which is why the quality of my strawberries is excellent. As soon as the rains came, we switched to strawberries grown under protection." However, demand dropped as the summer holidays began. "As soon as the festivals started in our area, demand peaked again."
Depending on the weather, the strawberries are expected to be on sale until the end of September. "We grow our strawberries outdoors on a total of 35 hectares. We cultivate another 3 hectares in sun or foil tunnels, growing in layers at a height of 1.20 m. Normally, the open-ground strawberry season is in late April/early May. The first strawberries were already available at the start of April, as we can access waste heat from water from a nearby biogas plant for our production."
Cooperation with Knuspr and other marketing branches
The goods are marketed through the Gänger family's farm store in Niedermotzing and through 22 direct marketing stands in Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate. Furthermore, goods are sold to the wholesale market hall in Munich and to food retailers. "We started marketing our goods through Knuspr in 2022 and were impressed by their logistics center. This year, it was clear that more and more customers were buying our goods online, which allowed us to sell significantly more asparagus and strawberries through Knuspr. We are very pleased that the cooperation with the online delivery service goes as smoothly as it does."
Lower prices for asparagus and stable prices for strawberries
"In direct marketing this year, we made sure not to set prices higher than last year, as the situation was already saved due to inflation and buying restraint. To boost sales, we actually ended up selling our asparagus at a lower price than 2022, with strawberry prices remaining relatively the same." Most of the strawberries are sold in wooden trays of 500 g each.
Production costs have risen sharply, he said, with the minimum wage being the primary driver. "Labor costs account for about 50 percent of the cost of asparagus and strawberries. As the minimum wage has increased by about 20 percent, we've had to adjust our costs accordingly."
"To keep up with the crop rotation, we farm 300 hectares of arable land with grain, corn, and sugar beets." The company, which has been operating for 20 years now, grows asparagus on 150 ha. These goods are sold throughout Germany as well as in Austria.
For more information:
Benedikt Gänger
Spargel & Erdbeeren Gänger
Donaustraße 38
94345, Niedermotzing
Tel.: +49 9429 / 948 590
Email: [email protected]
https://www.spargel-gaenger.de
