The Kindelbrücker Obstbau eG grows apples on 250 hectares. Other crops that grow well here in Thuringia are cherries, plums, hops, strawberries and asparagus. Thanks to good soil conditions and the favourable climate, the cooperative is amongst the largest fruit and asparagus producers in Thuringia.The members of the cooperative use top technology for production and promote regionalism in marketing.

It is almost beyond imagination just how big the mountain of apples would be that is harvested from these trees every year. Depending on the variety and location, about 25 to 56 tonnes of apples are harvested per hectare, totalling some 10,000 tonnes. Jonagold, Boskoop, Elstar, Gala, Pilot, Pirella or Golden Delicious – these are only a few of the 14 apple varieties. They are amongst the most popular ones today.“On average, the trees are cleared every 15 years and saplings are planted in their place. However, this is not due to declining yield. The old ones would continue to bring in a good harvest for many years. The reason is that there is a demand for new varieties. And we have to serve the market,” he explains, those are economic aspects that our cooperative must take into consideration.

As the technical manager, Steffen Lause is responsible for the company’s fleet and therefore for the tractors in the orchards. Since 2010, a Fendt 211 Vario P and, for a good year now, a Fendt 211 Vario F have been in operation here. They supplement the fleet of 16 Fendt tractors from the 200 series, three Fendt 300 and one high-horsepower tractor from Fendt. Fendt tractors have had a tradition in the cooperative since 1993 and are used for arable farming. Overall, 22 machines that average 800 to 1,300 work hours per year are in operation here.

Bees are indispensable helpers for fruit farmers. “We have set up many “hotels” for wild bees and have closed contracts with regional beekeepers, who come and set up their bee boxes when the trees are flowering in the orchards,” reports Volker Dittmann, Chairman of the cooperative. While speaking, he points out the bamboo poles with holes in them that have been placed between the rows of trees. The insects can lay their eggs here. Wild bees are so important for fruit production, because they will leave their hives at lower temperatures than bees from cultivated colonies. They are already active at 5 to 6 °C and pollinate the flowers, while honeybees will only leave the apiary at about 10°C.

“Our company philosophy is regionalism”, emphasises the chairman. All of our products therefore carry the badge “Original Thuringian Quality”. In addition to fruit production, the company cultivates a good 600 hectares of market fruits and an additional 80 hectares of hops, asparagus and walnuts.The company has a storage and cooling hall with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes, which permits fresh fruit to be delivered to stores over the entire year. That makes it possible to supply purchasers, such as Edeka and Aldi, continuously with fresh fruit in the winter months. Not all fruit, however, is placed in storage. Of all the apples harvested, about 80 percent enter the market immediately through the Obst und Gemüsemarkt Thüringen GmbH sales company or are sold to regular customers in the small farm store.