With a pick-up market in the central market hall and a growing delivery service for restaurants, hotels and communal catering of all kinds, Lindner is one of the leading companies in Frankfurt's fresh produce centre. Despite a supposed drop in purchasing power and in some cases sharp price increases for many fruit and vegetable products, sales results in the first half of 2024 were even slightly better than in the same period last year. "Although the weather has been predominantly wet and cold in recent months, we have noticed that the out-of-home market is still booming," report the two Managing Directors Stefan Lindner and Clemens Götzinger during an interview on site. 
Clemens Götzinger and Stefan Lindner at the sales stand in the central market hall of the Frankfurt Fresh Produce Centre.
Founded in 1981, the company now rests on two pillars. In addition to the pick-up market in the central market hall of the local fresh produce centre in Frankfurt, a wide range of customers in the Rhine-Main region are supplied with the help of a modern fleet of vehicles. "We also count many catering suppliers among our regular customers in the pick-up market, so we see a lot of synergy effects between the two business areas," says Götzinger during a tour of the premises at the wholesale market.
Vacancies are advertised with eye-catching lettering on the company's own delivery vehicles. Lindner also acts as one of six distribution centres of the CF Gastro Group.
Over the years, Lindner has developed into a full-range supplier and offers around 6,000 items. In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, the range also includes convenience products and additional products (e.g. dairy, juices). Götzinger: "The variety of products on offer is increasing, not only at our wholesale market, but also in general. When it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, we try to offer around two or three alternatives in different price categories for each individual product, which is also particularly appreciated by our customers."
The new cold store: A special cold store was put into operation a few months ago to store stone fruit and summer fruit in one temperature zone. The demand for stone fruit has so far been lower than in previous years, which is mainly due to the cold and wet weather.
Despite the pandemic and inflation, the family business has also been able to record pleasing growth in recent years. Both the customer base and operating capacities have been successively expanded. However, the increasing staff shortage could become an inhibiting factor in the future, the management continues. "In the course of our growth, we also have to increase our staff accordingly. However, it is becoming noticeably more difficult to find qualified employees from year to year, whether in the pick-up market, in the office or in logistics. In my opinion, this will also be the biggest challenge we have to overcome in the coming years." Lindner offers internal training courses for its employees and regularly trains apprentices.
Wild cauliflower and broccoli (or bimi) are currently sourced from regional producer Keltenhof.
Overall, the Lindner management is quite confident about the future of the local fresh produce centre in Frankfurt. "On the one hand, this is due to the modern capacities and the permanent full capacity utilisation, but on the other hand also to the fact that the market companies are de facto owners of the site, and we therefore have a certain location guarantee."
Left: Convenience products such as salads and fruit bowls are now an integral part of the product range. Right: Verna lemons from Spain, the established own brand Diana. A continuous basic demand for untreated lemons is observed throughout the year.
For more information:
Stefan Lindner & Clemens Götzinger
Lindner GmbH
Frischezentrum Frankfurt
Tel: +49 (69) 40 10 08-0
Fax: +49 (69) 40 10 08-25
Email: [email protected]
www.lindnerfood.de