WHERE DO POTATOES COME FROM? Scroll Down
METRO’s hallmarks are excellent quality and ultra-fresh produce. These are also the hallmarks of the many local producers who deliver to METRO each day. One of them is Christian Benninghoven from Gut Diepensiepen, a 200-hectare farm in Ratingen that has been in his family for 273 years. 30 hectares are given over to potatoes, some of which are delivered to METRO Cash & Carry and Real stores.
Field
6 different varieties grow on the Gut Diepensiepen farm. Annabelle and Allians are particularly popular. Planting can start in March and the yield is up to 1,400 tonnes per year. The farm uses strict crop rotation to maintain soil fertility and health. Potatoes are only planted on the same field at 5-year intervals. In the intervening years, the field is used to grow wheat and other cereals.
Harvesting and sorting
During harvesting, any stones, plant remains and earth as well as any damaged, green or rotten potatoes are discarded. The fine sorting takes place later on a conveyor belt. Afterwards, any potatoes that have been ordered by customers are washed and packed immediately, ready to be delivered. The rest of the harvest is placed in the cold store.
Packaging and loading
The potatoes are packed in 2.5-kilo bags or 5-kilo, 10-kilo or 12.5-kilo sacks as required, depending on whether they are for end consumers or commercial customers. Then they are grouped for the individual stores, stacked on pallets and loaded onto the truck.
Transport
Gut Diepensiepen delivers potatoes to various local customers several times a week. Since 2013, its customers include 6 METRO Cash & Carry and 3 Real stores. Orders are grouped to optimise capacity utilisation and route planning for every truck journey.
6°Cis the optimal storage temperature.
Arrival at the store
At the store, the potatoes are inspected again: are they fresh and free from blemishes? Are they the right temperature? Is the packaging intact? All these aspects are considered when accepting the goods. The potatoes then go on sale immediately and the stores advertise their local provenance. At Real, for instance, they use a special “Gutes aus der Heimat” logo.
On sale
The METRO Cash & Carry store in Düsseldorf sells around 300 kilos of potatoes from Gut Diepensiepen every day. They will stay fresh for several weeks even in a restaurant kitchen or at home, provided they are kept in a dark, dry place at a maximum of 6 degrees.
56.8kg is the amount of potatoes eaten per head per year on average in Germany.
BEI UNS KOMMEN KARTOFFELN TALICH AUF DEN TELLER – MANCHMAL SOGAR ZWEIMAL. Christian
Benninghoven
The Benninghoven family has been farming at Gut Diepensiepen for 9 generations.