At first glance, the multi-storey fruit processing centre right next to the railway tracks in Sulgen is hardly noticeable. This is despite its impressive height and floor space of around 9,500 square metres. The distinctive purple Holderhof logo on the grey walls adds a splash of colour. Now in spring, there is little going on around the building. It's a completely different story in autumn, when one tractor after another tips its apples into the spacious troughs. Inside the building, however, the 15 employees are busy all year round, producing pure apple juice, apple sauce, dried apple rings and many other valuable products for the food industry. Resourceful specialists are constantly working on new recipes and compositions.
Business is developing well
In autumn 2022, farmers from the region delivered cider apples to Sulgen for the first time. This was also new territory for them personally. With Holderhof, a new, larger buyer entered the structurally somewhat stagnant cider fruit market. Company founder Christof Schenk had a clear vision: to create new added value by processing regional raw materials, thereby strengthening Swiss farms. Holderhof focused particularly on producing pure juice rather than concentrate, especially for apple juice. The concept worked right from the start. The joint venture proved highly successful in the first three years, not only for Holderhof but also for its suppliers. The quantities of fruit processed are steadily increasing. More and more farming families are deciding to join Holderhof on its journey. Specialised cider fruit growers see new opportunities for themselves and are investing in professional equipment.
A new juice press is on the way
Last year, Holderhof in Sulgen installed 50 additional tanks for storing pure juice, increasing its capacity to 10 million litres. ‘This was necessary to meet the additional demand from retailers,’ says Christof Schenk. The company aims to grow organically and in line with sales. However, the building was designed for growth from the outset and equipped with additional expansion space. In recent years, this has provided space for a dedicated production line for applesauce and an apple peeling machine, including drying cabinets. In the coming weeks, Holderhof will reach another milestone: the two existing presses will be joined by a third, slightly larger juice press. This will increase the processing capacity in Sulgen by 40 per cent in one fell swoop. At the same time, Holderhof is acquiring another centrifuge and another pasteuriser in order to be able to process the additional quantities as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Space for new suppliers
The increasing sales of the products show that the fruit processing centre in Sulgen is on the right track. To cope with the foreseeable growth, more produce is needed. For farmers, this means: get in touch with Holderhof! The company is looking to establish long-term business relationships and offers multi-year, guaranteed purchase agreements for various cultivation standards and labels. Peter Lenggenhager (plenggenhager@holderhof.ch) is responsible for contract farming and will be happy to provide further information.
The fruit processing centre in Sulgen went into operation in autumn 2022.
This summer, the Holderhof is installing a third juice press, increasing its processing capacity by 40 per cent.
Since last year, the Holderhof has been drying apple rings made from Swiss raw materials.
The fruit processing centre turns local apples into purée.
To meet the growing demand for pure juice, Holderhof needs more apples from Swiss farms.