Josef Stapf Großmarkt Ltd has been one of the leading market companies in Frankfurt's fresh produce centre for many years and has developed into the place to go for fruit and vegetables from near and far. With the acquisition of Früchte Stern Ltd, a few years ago, the company now has two sales stands in the central market hall of the local fresh produce centre. Recently, the two business takeovers of Uhlemann Ltd in Rosbach and Rogge Obst und Gemüse Ltd at the Mainz wholesale market have also been successfully completed, the management told us in an interview.
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The team of Josef Stapf Großmarkt. From left to right: Uwe Sakowski (Managing Director), Christopher Römer (Purchasing and Sales Wholesale Market), Miguel Chavero (Managing Director) and Denis Piper (Managing Director of Uhlemann)
Strong demand for exotics and weather-related quality losses characterise German cherry season
Josef Stapf Großmarkt Ltd has been a specialised supplier of exotics from all over the world for many years. "Our exotic range includes, for example, red and yellow pitahaya and granadilla. We source both products throughout the winter, mainly from Colombia. Interestingly, despite inflation, we have noticed a high demand for these unusual exotic fruits. We were even able to sell these fruits by the pallet instead of by the crate as in other years," says buyer and seller Christopher Römer.
The Ockstadt cherry season is now drawing to a close.
At the moment, sweet cherries and stone fruits are dominating the scene at the fresh produce centre and therefore also at the Josef Stapf Ltd stand. "A seasonal highlight in our range are the 'Ockstädter Kirschen'; regional cherries from open ground cultivation. However, the lack of sun hours means that in some cases, the quality of the produce is deteriorating considerably. The excessive rainfall has caused many cherries to burst, which will also lead to a premature end to the season. I estimate that the first fruit farms will withdraw from the market as early as week 29." In the case of Spanish stone fruit, which is also currently on offer, the quantities and quality of the first half of the season were fine, Römer continues.
Increase in purchasing volume
Meanwhile, two business acquisitions were also completed in the first half of the year. Firstly, the takeover of Uhlemann in Rosbach was completed on 1 January 2014, followed three months later by the official takeover of Gastrogroßhandel Rogge Ltd, based at the Mainz wholesale market. "The latest business acquisitions have enabled us to significantly expand our catchment area," explains the two-man management team at Josef Stapf Ltd, consisting of Uwe Sakowski and Miquel Chavero. "In addition, this step enables us to sell more volume, which inevitably also contributes to the higher purchasing volume. The latter in turn means that in many cases we can buy and ultimately offer the goods at lower prices. This ultimately benefits not only us, but also the newly acquired companies and their customers."
Access to the food retail trade
Rogge Ltd, the newest sister company of the wholesale empire, based in the wholesale market hall in Mainz, is also extremely satisfied with the new company structure. "As a result of the takeover, a significant part of our product range is now purchased centrally, which is why we have also gained some new suppliers with whom we previously had no contact. Our clientele, which primarily includes regional catering businesses, farm shops and weekly markets in the Mainz area, benefit from the increased variety of products that we can now offer in addition to our already wide range."
Rogge's customers still mainly collect their goods locally from the wholesale market hall in Mainz, but this is set to change. "We want to deliver more goods in future and are also aiming to expand our sales market to include regional food retail markets. This step will presumably be made easier by the takeover and the existing network of Josef Stapf Ltd. In this respect, we are already expecting certain synergy effects."
The Rogge Obst und Gemüse product range. The company, which is based in the Mainz wholesale market hall, currently sells plums, cherries and a wide variety of berries. Mushrooms can also be cut, at the customer's request.
For more information:
Uwe Sakowski
Josef Stapf Wholesale Market GmbH
Frischezentrum Frankfurt
Tel: +49 (0)69 400502200
[email protected]
www.josef-stapf.de
www.fruechte-stern.de
Rogge Obst und Gemüse GmbH
Großmarkt Mainz
Tel: +49 6131 590 51/52
[email protected]
Uhlemann GmbH
Bornweg 100
61191 Rosbach
Tel: +49 6003 / 93457-0
[email protected]
www.uhlemann-fruit.de