Young apple trees for pure juice

«Toooot»: every few seconds, the planting machine emits the distinctive signal, accompanied by the simultaneous illumination of a green light. It is the unmistakable sign for the planter that he has to place a tree in the furrow in the ground that has previously been cleared by machine. The planting machine can plant up to 3000 young fruit trees in one day – if everything goes perfectly. Everything is aligned dead straight according to GPS. This enables rational cultivation of the orchard later on.

This was also the case this spring with the freshly planted 1,900 cider fruit trees on the Lenggenhager family’s organic farm in Uttwil on Lake Constance. The planting material for the 3.5 hectares was pre-financed by the Holderhof. In the coming years, it will be repaid with part of the harvest yield as part of a multi-year purchase guarantee for the cider apples. Holderhof can expect the first substantial apple yield for the fruit processing centre in Sulgen in around four years’ time. Until then, the trees must do one thing above all: grow vigorously.

Rational cultivation

The creation of orchards with only cider apple trees is still rather rare in Switzerland. Much more common are those with dessert apples for fresh consumption. Their production is much more complex because, for example, weather protection or a supporting structure is required to achieve the required uniformity and external quality. The purchase prices for dessert apples must be correspondingly higher. Other quality criteria apply to cider fruit, for which buyers cannot be expected to pay relatively high prices. This is why professional cider orchards, such as the newly built one in Uttwil, look very different from the outside: there are no plastic roofs to protect against rain or hail, for example. After planting, each tree is given a stake to support it and a protective cover against deer browsing. That will have to do for now. After all, the costs must remain as low as possible for profitable production. This also includes shaking the apples during harvest or mechanised pruning in winter. All this is easier if there is as little infrastructure in the way as possible. One problem can be mice, which like to feast on the fine roots of the young trees. As a preventative measure, the grass between the rows of trees is therefore regularly mulched. Soon after planting, the young trees are also given their first dose of compost. This not only provides them with important nutrients, but also ensures a good soil structure. This is an important prerequisite for the trees to remain healthy and produce a good yield in the coming years.

Commitment to pure juice

Holderhof processes the cider apples at its fruit processing centre in Sulgen into pure juice and not concentrate, as is still often the case in Switzerland. This is the company’s response to changes in the market, which is increasingly moving in the direction of pure juice. «People today prefer the natural form of directly pressed, pure juice,» says Holderhof founder Christof Schenk. All the better, of course, if it comes from the region. And that is actually less of a problem in Eastern Switzerland’s «Cider Country». In order to meet the increasing demand from customers, Holderhof therefore supports local fruit farms in planting new orchards and grants long-term purchase agreements on fair terms.

A good, revitalised soil structure provides the basis for successful production.