Photo: Bärbel Egbers
Fresh, seasonal, regional – and mostly also organic, these are products that are sold by direct marketers. In the corona crisis, this assortment of high-quality foods is obviously in much greater demand. In any case, three regional direct marketers from the area of the Catholic People’s Movement (KLB) emphatically confirmed this trend.
“Our turnover has doubled,” explains organic farmer Bärbel Egbers. In addition to regular customers, “many new customers” come to their two farm shops “Querbeet” in Oberaltertheim and Würzburg. People sometimes queue up to the streets, she reports. However, their personnel expenses have tripled because all customers are served and only one or two people are admitted.
The farmer and her husband Dieter have been running an organic farm in Oberaltertheim (Würzburg district) in a completely ecological way since 1981. For over seven years, the children David and Iris and their husband Lorenz have been with the company full-time. 165 hectares of land are cultivated on which over 50 types of vegetables, cereals or potatoes are grown.
Sales have increased
Another marketing concept is Thomas Haaf, who runs a 45-hectare organic farm in Wittighausen (Main-Tauber district). He keeps his hens in five stables, he delivers the eggs to almost 100 customers such as weekly markets, grocery stores, bakers or innkeepers, especially in the Würzburg, Main-Tauber and Bad Mergentheim area. “Our sales figures are enormous,” reports the farmer. “We are currently making about as much sales as before Christmas.” Also more private customers come directly to the farm to take the organic eggs with them.
Naturlandhof and health food store Karg in Kronungen (district of Schweinfurt) have existed since 1990. Here too, sales have increased by almost 100 percent since the corona crisis. Benedikt Karg: “We have not changed our opening hours, but more customers are coming than before”. He also observed that regular customers sometimes take more with them when they come to the store. He has therefore expanded the already wide range again. In addition to products from our own production such as He also offers wheat, spelled, potatoes and eggs a variety of products from local farmers such as honey, pasta, apples, vegetables or meat and sausages.
Freshness and quality of the food is appreciated
In corona times, the freshness and high quality of the food offered are particularly valued, says Bärbel Egbers. “People have become more aware of what they load onto their plates”. In addition, according to Benedikt Karg, more food is also cooked at home. “People can no longer go out to eat and are more at home,” he suspects.
The direct marketers cannot complain about the lack of appreciation of their work. So Thomas Haaf keeps getting “dear mails” with comments like “these are the best eggs” or “nice that the chickens are doing so well with you”. Even postcards from grateful customers have fluttered into his home. “Our eggs are bought very deliberately,” Haaf is certain. Benedikt Karg sees this in a similar way. “Every farmer who markets his own products has always had the appreciation of his customers,” he reports. “I’ve now become your fan,” said an enthusiastic new customer, Bärbel Egbers.
Photo: Bärbel Egbers
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Oberaltertheim
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Walter Sauter
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Health food stores
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flesh
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vegetables
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Grain
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honey
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Potatoes
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Customers
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Grocery stores
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wheat
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Sausages and sausages
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