As is well known, the gastro scene has had to accept hard losses in sales during the pandemic. Currently, volume declines in the restaurant and hotel industry are approaching 100 percent again. "Overall, we have come out of the crisis relatively unscathed, with only a slight drop in sales. We are now striving to open up new markets and are therefore investing a lot in new customer acquisition," reports Azad Dagdelen, junior manager of Adam Reuter Ltd and gastronomy wholesaler at the Düsseldorf wholesale market.
The company was founded by the Reuter family shortly after the Second World War, and about 15 years ago the management was handed over to the Dagdelen family. Now the company is facing a generational change, with Azad Dagdelen gradually taking over the management from his father. "We are now focusing more on delivery instead of collection, as we are finding that many also travel to Venlo to buy their goods there. Our added value lies primarily in the fact that we are able to supply customers with goods of all kinds in a flexible and agile manner," says the 23-year-old.
Asian cuisine on the rise
The young fresh food supplier also sees opportunities for new product segments. Dagdelen: "The shift towards vegan food is moving more and more from Berlin to the Rhine-Ruhr area. This offers not only us, but also our customers new opportunities to bring more variety into the product portfolio. Pak choi and bean sprouts, among others, are very popular with our customers, which is also due to the increasing relevance of Asian cuisine in the Düsseldorf area. In addition, we also score with ready-to-cook vegetables, which we produce ourselves to a large extent. This range is also constantly being expanded depending on customer demand."
Azad Dagdelen passionately manages the growing company that is Adam Reuter Ltd. Adhering to the motto 'The world is our garden', regional goods are offered as much as possible.
Closure of the wholesale market
The impending closure of the local wholesale market on Ulmenstrasse also dominates discussions at Adam Reuter Ltd, Dagdelen continues. "We have to expect that the end of the wholesale market will become a fact sooner or later. That's why it's especially important to me to continue to expand my customer base until then, so that we will have several options in the event of a closure. I could imagine that in that case we would acquire a location in the immediate vicinity of the German-Dutch border, not only because a lot of goods are purchased in the Netherlands, but also in view of the logistical advantages in delivery."
Furthermore, Dagdelen also believes in the future of digitalization in the fruit and vegetable trade. Due to this, the company's existing ordering portal is undergoing a fundamental restructuring. "We want to develop further in such a way that in the future, customers will be able to obtain their complete requirements, whether fruit, vegetables or other items, simply and conveniently through us. Our range of products will therefore inevitably be expanded to include, for example, meat, cheese and other products."
For more information:
Azad Dagdelen
Adam Reuter Obst & Gemüse Großhandel GmbH
Großmarkt Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49 15221687640
Tel.: +49 17648739228
Fax: + 02131/5245753
E-Mail: adamreuter@hotmail.de
www.adamreuter-gastro.de