The consumption of sauerkraut is increasing.
Are you addicted to sauerkraut? Adobe Stock / AOP
Since the beginning of the year, the store’s sauerkraut shelves have been emptying at breakneck speed.
Sales manager of the S-group convenience store Katarina Vikman says that the sales volume of sauerkraut and pickled and fermented vegetables in general has grown rapidly compared to the previous year.
– During the first weeks of the year, the sales volume has increased by about 50 percent compared to the corresponding weeks of the previous year. Last week, the sales volume increased by up to 70 percent compared to the corresponding week of the previous year, says Vikman.
Rasilainen is currently the only supplier of the S group’s chain selection, but there may be other brands in the selection locally. Vikman states that so far there have been enough products. Last week there were only individual delivery shortages.
– Last fall, we changed the display of products from the prepared food section to the fruit and vegetable section. The request for change has come from our customers, and we have been considering it for a long time. The sales of sauerkraut began to rise in a trend-like manner already in May of last year, Vikman says.
He continues that in general, sales of all vegetables, both fresh and frozen, always rise at the beginning of the year, when attention is paid to well-being. Vikman reminds us that sauerkraut is still a relatively small product group in terms of sales in the fruit and vegetable department.
It is also reported from Lidl that the popularity of sauerkraut has grown since the beginning of the year. In January and especially at the beginning of February, sales of sauerkraut have shown growth, and compared to a year ago, sauerkraut has been sold more than last year.
In the picture, sauerkraut from Terti Manor. Tommi Anttonen
Kesko’s purchasing and sales manager Liisa Eronen confirm the same: Interest in sauerkraut is still high.
– Already last year, the sales volume of sauerkraut sold in the hevi department increased by about 15 percent, and the strongest growth was at the end of the year. Now in January, sauerkraut was sold up to 25 percent more than a year ago in January.
Eronen states that currently Kesko’s selection only includes sauerkraut manufactured by Rasilainen, but stores can and do have their own direct procurement from other suppliers.
Rasilainen, Finland’s largest producer of sauerkraut, developed its traditional sauerkraut recipe in the 1970s. Founded the Rasilaine garden in the 1960s Matti Rasilainen took sauerkraut as a sideline to farming at that time.
Matti Rasilainen’s daughter and the company’s current CFO Johanna Raatikainen notes that the consumption of sauerkraut fluctuates, but for several years its consumption has increased in the first months of the year.
– Vegetarian food in general has been a growing trend, it has been visible for some time in the production of sauerkraut. In general, cabbages are also on the rise in other parts of Europe. Perhaps the good properties of the undervalued cabbage plants have gradually been understood, Raatikainen reflects.
There may still be a slight prejudice towards sauerkraut. Raatikainen says that at tastings at fairs and in stores, people have been positively surprised and stated that this is a nice product.
Although raw material orders are already placed well in advance, Raatikainen believes that they will be sufficient despite the growth in demand.
Rasilainen’s traditional recipe has remained the same for 50 years. Before, sauerkraut was a service counter product, but Matti Rasilainen came up with packing sauerkraut in boxes, making it easy for the consumer to buy it.
– It was a great innovation at the time, Raatikainen says.
Rasilainen’s sauerkraut version, which is by far the most purchased, is the traditional one, but several flavors have appeared alongside it. There are a dozen of them in total, the newest being cranberry-apple and turmeric-ginger.