Food plant turns to imports as weak cucumber harvest slows production
Newly Estonian‑owned factory in Põltsamaa Parish has begun its cucumber‑preserving season, but a weak local harvest means some of the produce will be imported from Germany and Finland.
This year's cucumber harvest has been on the modest side, though growers are hoping for warmer August weather. Aromella, the Põltsamaa food‑processing plant that recently changed ownership and is now Estonian‑owned, began preserving cucumbers before Midsummer.
Tarmo Pärn, a vegetable grower from Võhma, has been supplying cucumbers to the Põltsamaa plant for nearly twenty years. Because spring was cold and rainfall higher than usual, he started harvesting a bit later — right after Midsummer.
"In terms of yield, there's nothing to cheer about yet. Maybe August will be a little better," Pärn said, adding that cucumbers need both rain and warmth to grow. This year has been unstable on both fronts.
Under his contract, Pärn must deliver 80 tons of cucumbers to the Põltsamaa plant.
According to Diana Tšaikina, shift supervisor at Aromella's Põltsamaa factory, more than a thousand tons of cucumbers are jarred each season, and the plant produces over a hundred different products.
Factory manager Peeter Kalmet said the Estonian season for field cucumbers started a bit later this year.
"We'll meet our needs, because we also rely on growers in Germany and Finland. But of course we want to use as many Estonian cucumbers as we can get from the fields," Kalmet said.
The Põltsamaa plant, previously owned by Orkla, was recently acquired by Svensky Kaubandus, an Estonian‑capital company that owns two food factories in Estonia — Marmiton and Aromella in Põltsamaa.
"Aromella is the operator of the Põltsamaa plant. We're continuing with all the same products that have been made here in Põltsamaa. We didn't receive every product group in the deal — some trademarks remained with the seller. We definitely want to expand the assortment and bring back familiar products people expect to find from Põltsamaa," the factory manager added.
As the next step, the Põltsamaa plant will launch the Aromella brand to strengthen its presence in Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland.
Põltsamaa is a small town located in Jõgeva County, central Estonia.
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Editor: Märten Hallismaa, Argo Ideon
