Polish Celmer brothers sell apples without supermarkets, using direct sales and an apple vending machine
Brothers Jakub and Szymon Celmer grow apples on six hectares in Trzebnica, Lower Silesia, and sell them without intermediaries. They turned down supermarket supply talks over unfavourable terms.
In Trzebnica, a town in Poland's Lower Silesia region in the country's south-west, brothers Jakub and Szymon Celmer run a six-hectare apple orchard. Poland is one of Europe's largest apple producers, but small and medium-sized orchards face low purchase prices. The Celmers have chosen to sell much of their crop themselves, bypassing supermarkets and middlemen.
Three generations in the orchard
The first apple trees were planted in the 1970s by the brothers' grandfather, Zdzisław. In the 1990s Janusz Celmer took over the orchard and ran it for about 20 years before handing the farm to his sons. Six main varieties grow there, including Golden Delicious, Rubin, Topaz and Jonaprince Select. A typical season yields about 250 tonnes of apples, though this year's harvest was smaller because of spring frosts and hail. Since the 1990s the farm has followed the integrated plant production system, which involves monitoring plant protection methods and limiting their environmental impact. The brothers say it brings subsidies of roughly 12,000–13,000 zloty a year.
Why not supermarkets
Initial talks with supermarkets concerned apples 8–9 centimetres in diameter. Szymon Celmer says it was unclear what they would do with the remaining fruit, and payment deadlines were distant. Part of the crop is pressed into juice, while apples go to markets and shops at 2–4 zloty per kilogram. This year the brothers hope to sell about 40% of the harvest directly.
Apple vending machine and pick-your-own
At the farm gate stands an apple vending machine that cost about 50,000 zloty net, bought with co-funding from the "Agriculture 4.0" programme. After a month, Jakub Celmer says new customers are appearing. At the end of the season the brothers also hold a pick-your-own event where customers harvest the fruit themselves.
This year they insured the orchard against hail for the first time. Losses were about 30%, and the payout was about 10,000 zloty, while the policy cost 12,000. Jakub Celmer believes direct sales allow the farm to stay financially afloat.
