The warm month of September caused the usual worries at sauerkraut factory G. Kramer & Zn. “We pickle the cabbage at around 20 degrees Celsius. Fermentation went very fast because of this, but demand slowed down. Fortunately, we always have the option to produce tins. We have by now already finished the tin line, and that is quite unique. The situation has now changed again, and there is no stopping it. But in a sauerkraut factory, running and standing still is all part of the daily routine,” Gerrie Groot says.
Last year, the sauerkraut factory celebrated its 125th anniversary, and by now, the fifth generation of Kramer, this time called Dirk, has made his entrance in the company. “During our season — from the start of August until a few days before Christmas — we pickle 200,000 kilograms of sauerkraut per day. The Netherlands and Belgium are our main markets, but our sauerkraut goes all over the world via our customers. This year, France had problems with the cultivation of cabbage, and we were able to sell lots of sauerkraut to France in bulk.”
Annually, the factory fixes the price for the entire season. “That used to be different, when we were dependent on the auction price, but when our customers wanted to start working with fixed prices, we stopped using auction prices,” Groot says. “That is ideal for our customers. But for us it becomes difficult during situations like last year’s, when we have to buy additional product, and not much cabbage is available. The same is happening now with organic cabbage, which is suffering from the impact of diamondback moths. But, in the end, we also manage to meet our customers’ demand.”
Groot is very positive about the future of sauerkraut. “Just last year, sauerkraut was named super food of the year. Fermented vegetables are very in right now. We make a healthy and cheap product, so time is on our side. I feel confident that the next 125 years are going to be just as successful!”
