During the summer holidays, traders usually observe a great need for classic grill vegetables and popular side dishes. In addition to peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and leafy lettuce, sweetcorn also gains in importance every year. The sweet corncobs were a rarity until 10-15 years ago; now the product is indispensable in the vegetable rack. Specialists in this product are particularly pleased with the steady rise of the product, confirms Werner Lehner, producer and marketer in Leonding, Austria.

Fresh sweetcorn
It is currently peak season in the Upper Austrian fields of the Lehner vegetable farm. From the last week of June onward, this veteran farmer is in the harvest phase, which started about a week earlier than usual. "In principle, we are able to deliver sweetcorn all year round, as we have a partner in the Spanish region of Andalusia. Nonetheless, we usually stop with the fresh sweetcorn in October, as sales in Austria are then slowing down significantly. When the barbecue season is over in this country, people dont choose fresh sweetcorn as often anymore, rather going for vacuum sealed products. However, we only supply the fresh market or directly supply supermarkets; we have nothing to do with the processing industry."

Rising demand
According to the all-round producer and marketer, some significant developments have emerged over the years. "In the past, we sold the sweet corn primarily under our own brand. We are still doing that, but not to the extent that back then when every producer had his own brand. "In terms of the popularity and awareness of the product, a lot has changed in recent years, emphasizes Lehner, who also exports sweetcorn to England and Holland. "There has been a big increase in demand. The product was launched about 20 to 25 years ago and has been growing ever since."

Prices stagnate
Although sweetcorn is becoming increasingly important in Austrian trade every year, prices have hardly increased over the years. Relatively, the producers get the same price as they did 15 years ago. "As a result, we were only able to cover any increase in costs in personnel and production, from diesel to other energy and machinery, through the growth of production."

Specialties as a trademark
True to the motto SINCE GENERATIONS - FOR generations, vegetable wholesale Lehner has developed from more than 50 years into a successful vegetable cultivator in Upper Austria. Specialties were always a trademark of the company. The company has a very diversified clientele. In addition to sweetcorn, the company also supplies seasonal pumpkin and wild garlic from its own fields, also exporting many products to Germany.

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