Austrian fruit producer Heinz Zinner (right) produces around 4,000 tons of apples per year on 100 hectares of cultivated land. Two-thirds of his acreage is in Burgenland,
with the rest in Hungary and Styria. In Austria, the harvest is smaller, and the quality and storability have suffered, Zinner said in an interview with Mein Bezirk. "The weather situation with late frosts and flooding has hit Styria particularly hard. These days, the trees sprout earlier, which means that spring frosts can cause a lot of damage. We have 100 percent of the areas under hail nets, and we have crown irrigation against frost for 80 percent."
In addition to the main variety, Gala, Zinner also supplies the Austrian food retail industry with the varieties Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Elstar, Pinova and Braeburn. Even though the apple is still the favorite fruit number one, consumption in Austria is gradually declining. Zinner: "When I bought the business 21 years ago, per capita consumption was 26 kilos; now it is 20 kilos. Our strongest customer group is people between the ages of 40 and 60; young people are not really apple eaters."
View of the company headquarters in Kukmirn, Burgenland.
Photo credit: OBSTBAU ZINNER GMBH
For more information:
Heinz Sinner
OBSTBAU ZINNER GMBH
Apfelstraße 89
A-7543 Kukmirn
T: +43 (0) 3328 / 32227 Fax-DW 5
[email protected]
www.obstbauzinner.at