After the brand relaunch in 2023, the product range of the established German fruit brand Götterfrucht was expanded this year to include three new items. The premium label of the Frankfurt-based wholesaler Grundhöfer, which was originally created as a citrus brand, now also trades Italian watermelons, Spanish stone fruit and Peruvian organic physalis. However, the brand's core values remain unchanged because even after many decades, the name Götterfrucht still stands for high-quality fruit products from selected producers, assures Thomas Grundhöfer, brand owner and managing director of the company of the same name.
Moderate stone fruit campaign
The entire stone fruit program of Spanish origin was offered for the first time this year under the Götterfrucht brand. In terms of premium stone fruit, France always set the tone, at least on the German market, Grundhöfer explains. This has completely changed since 2016: French stone fruit - except apricots - now only has a supplementary character, while Spain tends to gain in importance. According to Grundhöfer, this is also due to the fact that the nectarines, peaches and the like are almost on a par with their French counterparts in terms of quality.
After this year's campaign, the Grundhöfer GmbH team can look back on a successful marketing season. "I would rate this year's stone fruit season as moderate in every respect," says the CEO. "At the beginning of the season, there were a few surpluses here and there, but from the end of July, apricots in particular were in high demand. Otherwise, there were sufficient quantities throughout the entire season, so we were able to meet the demand from our food retail customers with little difficulty."
Götterfrucht is one of the most popular fruit brands in Germany, particularly in the citrus segment.
Organic Physalis for online retail
Another new product in the Götterfrucht range is the organic physalis, which is sourced from Peru all year round. Grundhöfer: "We supply this item exclusively to an online supermarket and have thus been able to tap into a new market. So far, demand for the item has been consistently high and stable. "The third and final new product is seedless watermelon grown in southern Italy. "We are dedicated to the procurement and distribution of an exclusive variety that is only available for a short time, from mid-July to the end of August."
Last year, the Götterfrucht portfolio was already expanded to include Italian grapes. In line with the brand philosophy, only fruit from selected producer partners is offered here as well. "The focus is on the better varieties such as Italia grapes. Depending on the weather, we offer our grapes from August to October," says Grundhöfer.
Stone fruit and organic Physalis
Oranges regain market share
Despite the aforementioned additions to the range, citrus fruits, especially oranges and clementines, are still the main product of the Götterfrucht brand. At peak times, up to 180 tons of citrus fruits a week leave the modern Grundhöfer GmbH company premises at the main entrance to the Frankfurt Frischezentrum. Due to the prolonged heat in large parts of Spain, Grundhöfer says that lower quantities at the beginning of the season starting in October cannot be ruled out. "Nevertheless, we have a broad base of producers and cooperate with producers in Seville and as far north as the Barcelona area. From experience, a lot can change in the remaining weeks until the start of the harvest, which is why we cannot and do not want to make any exact quantity forecasts at this time."
Instead, Grundhöfer prefers to remember the successful marketing year of 2023/24, when there was a slight increase in the citrus category. "In previous years, demand for clementines increased from year to year, while demand for oranges tended to stagnate. This is now apparently changing again, with oranges showing slight growth again in the past season. To be honest, we can't explain this exactly either. Consumer preferences for taste change again and again."
Italian grapes and premium watermelons.
Volume growth expected for Orri clementines
The arrival of the first Spanish early clementines in October usually marks the start of the new citrus season in the northern hemisphere, followed a few weeks later by the first Navel table oranges. As the season progresses, the various orange varieties Navel, Lane Late and Navel Powel (in that order) are shipped in succession. In March/April, the supply of Spanish oranges gradually comes to an end, with Spanish citrus producers trying to extend the marketing window of their oranges. Outside the Spanish season, from May to October, South African summer oranges are packed and sold under the Götterfrucht brand.
In contrast to oranges, Grundhöfer continues, there have been repeated shifts at the variety level in the clementine category. "The easy-to-peel Marisol has now almost completely disappeared from the market in favor of the Oronules, which has become very popular in the DACH region since its market launch a few years ago. The new variety Mioro is now also offered between the early clementines and the main variety Clemenules. In the later range, the Nadorcott variety has now become the standard. Tango and Orri round off the range in February and March accordingly. It is also expected that the Spanish Orri-Clementine harvest will increase significantly in the coming years due to the increase in new plantings. These plants will now gradually reach full yield." Other varieties such as Ortanique and Spanish Satsumas are not particularly suitable for the German market.
In addition to oranges and clementines, Spanish Verna lemons and Italian blood oranges are also marketed seasonally in the tried-and-tested Götterfrucht cartons.
Generational brand success
The Götterfrucht brand, for which Grundhöfer GmbH in Frankfurt holds the rights since the end of 2022, is considered the premium citrus brand par excellence not only in southern Germany, but throughout Germany and in parts of neighboring Switzerland and Austria. The product is not only permanently listed by the leading food retail chains, but can also be found in numerous wholesale markets in the DACH region. Grundhöfer: "Götterfrucht is also achieving encouraging growth in neighboring countries, both in food retailers and at wholesale markets. What helps us here is that the brand is passed down from generation to generation. In southern Germany in particular, almost every consumer grew up with Götterfrucht, so the brand is deeply rooted in society."
Nevertheless, the well-established brand was relaunched last year. "It was important to us to change the logo and lettering only slightly so that the brand identity would remain recognizable to everyone. We have succeeded in doing so, as we can see from the consistently positive feedback we have received so far," says Grundhöfer. However, the wheel never stands still and further optimizations are already planned. "In terms of marketing, we want to take only targeted, well-thought-out measures, and we are not afraid to use modern platforms and social media. Furthermore, we are concerned about the issue of packaging, in which, for example, we see a shift towards smaller packaging units for clementines, which we have to and want to face."
Photo credit: GRUNDHÖFER GmbH
For more information:
Thomas Grundhöfer
GRUNDHÖFER GmbH
Johann-Georg-Fahr-Anlage 1
60437 Frankfurt
Tel: 069 - 40 50 08 - 0
Fax: 069 - 40 50 08 - 88
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.grundhoefer-frankfurt.de
https://xn--gtterfrucht-rfb.de