Brief company profile

Hans-Peter Luhn GmbH deals in fresh as well as in deep frozen vegetables for the processing foodstuff industry. In 1995 the quality management system of Hans-Peter Luhn GmbH was
certified according to ISO 9001. The business is based on a controlled contract farming that meets the respective regulations for cultivation. Within the scope of this contract farming Hans-Peter Luhn GmbH concludes field-by-field planting contracts with selected farmers in Germany, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands. These contracts are restricted to the season.

Hans-Peter Luhn GmbH provides the farmers with seed and plants and also with sowing machines, if required. During the growing season, the farmers are advised by the company's agricultural service, if questions arise concerning cultivation measures. Furthermore, compliance with the regulations for cultivation is regularly controlled. Dates for harvesting and loading are fixed in mutual agreement with the producers and in conformity with the customers' wishes.

If requested, harvesting machines and movable sorting machines are provided. The usual procedure is to load the raw products from the contract farming fresh from the field loosely on trucks and to dispatch them directly to the customer (vegetable mail-order business). The season for fresh vegetables starts early in August (ripeness of crop) and ends at the end of March. Main products are carrots, beetroot, parsnips and celeriac. The customer group for fresh or frozen organic vegetables comprises in the first place manufacturers of dietary food such as baby food and vegetable juice but also canning factories and manufacturers of frozen foods all over the European Union.

In most of the cases, seasonal contracts are concluded with these customers. The customers may choose, examine and sample acreages for the future deliveries already during the growing season. Part of the raw products is frozen by selected processing companies for Hans-Peter Luhn GmbH to semi-finished products such as cubes, slices or mash, according to the customers' specifications. Afterwards, they are packed in cartons or sacks, stored at temperatures of approx. -22° C and called by the customer, when required.