Eaten fresh or in liquid form: the apple is the most popular fruit in Switzerland. The new apple juice product line launched by Holderhof fits this bill. Holderhof Produkte AG is fully committed to local cultivation. Last autumn, farmers from the region delivered their freshly harvested cider apples to the newly built fruit processing centre in Sulgen for the first time. Cleanly separated according to production methods such as organic, Demeter or conventional, they tipped the goods into the appropriate silos. From there, the apples start the processing procedure and, after a gentle pressing process, end up as fresh apple juice in one of the large tanks. In the process, Holderhof Produkte AG relies entirely on pure juice, which is more popular among the population than juices made from concentrates. And there are reasons for this: In a test by Stiftung Warentest in Germany, only pure juices scored a “good”. The main difference to juices from concentrate was in sensory properties, i.e. smell, taste and consistency. In addition, the production of juice concentrate in the evaporation plant is energy-intensive, which is why pure juice scores better on environmental assessments.
Spritzer or apple juice?
The new apple juice product family under the “Holderhof” brand consists of one pure apple juice line and one spritzer line. What is the difference? As the name suggests, the pure apple juice actually contains only juice from the fruit. The spritzer, on the other hand, is a diluted juice variant with a fruit juice to water ratio of 60 to 40 percent and is usually carbonated. Both types are available in naturally cloudy or clear versions. Cloudy juice comes out right after the press and still contains visible fruit parts of the apple – so-called suspended matter. The clear apple juice, on the other hand, flows through a filter in an additional processing step, where these components remain. The cloudy pure apple juice is considered the most natural variant and contains the most of the health-promoting secondary substances. That is why the popular saying goes “an apple a day, keeps the doctor away”. It takes about 1.2 kilograms of cider apples to produce one litre of pure, naturally cloudy apple juice. With one glass of pure, naturally cloudy apple juice per day, you are already well on your way.
In organic quality or as private label
The products of the Holderhof’s new apple juice line are offered either certified organic or in conventional form. The different product variants available with the respective filling formats in PET or in noble glass bottles can be found here. Holderhof Produkte AG also specialises in the production of private labels. This provides an exciting opportunity not only for retailers but also for other companies to offer the trendy pure juice from local apples under their own brand or with their own logo. Incidentally, this starts at a quantity of 10,000 bottles already. Thanks to the modern facilities and efficient processing structures, the prices are also quite attractive.
In autumn, the cider fruit is delivered to Sulgen.
The cider fruit is collected separately according to production methods.
The cider apples come from regional farms.