Celebrating the Foods of Germany

Year-Round Promotions for German Products

The summertime slowdown offers retailers a great time to collect their thoughts and prepare for the fourth quarter. But Germany is a country in which festivals and celebrations occur throughout the entire year, offering numerous opportunities to promote German foods and beverages. Why not use a bit of history, heritage, and excitement to pump up sales of German specialties?

The inherent nature of German products (high quality, great tasting, and innovative) makes them likely candidates for consumption at home year-round. Further, the products — from high-quality cheeses, to pickled condiments, to entertainment-quality confections — make for easy consumption as a component of everyday dishes, not solely German-inspired dishes.

According to the CMA German Agricultural Board, there has been increasing interest in German food and beverage promotions at the retail level. "New products have been listed in almost all supermarket chains where promotions have taken place and the overall distribution of imported German products has increased steadily," explained Dr. Dirk Buescher, managing director of CMA North America. According to Buescher, USDA statistics showed a 3.5% increase in imports of consumer-oriented German foods and beverages in 2000. To help you with promotional ideas, join us now on a year-long celebration of all things German. For additional promotional ideas, visit www.cmanorthamerica.org.



Oktoberfest

(Last week in September, first week in October)

What would the fall season be without Oktoberfest? More than 5 million visitors make their way to Munich's famed Theresienwiese each year to enjoy the 16-day party, but this German-inspired beer festival has also become a celebration that is enjoyed internationally.

Because of its international appeal, why not set up a mini-Oktoberfest celebration in your store? Beyond the well-known association with beer, promote the true heart of the celebration — a wedding. The fair began with the 1810 wedding of Prince Ludwig and Princess Theresa of Bavaria that coincided with the harvest and the tapping of the new brew.

The "official" celebration has been in existence since 1818 and is opened annually by a parade of colorfully decorated horse-drawn beer wagons, marching bands, and men and women in traditional Bavarian garb. The party begins at the stroke of noon when the Mayor of Munich taps the first barrel of new beer.

While beer is the basis of many revelers' diets throughout the celebration, German bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes help fill their stomaches as well. German chocolate and candies are dispensed from booths throughout the festival grounds, as are a variety of cheeses and other German delicacies.

An in-store Oktoberfest celebration can extend beyond beer as German beers pair nicely with a wide variety of foods. The golden pilsners and lagers work well with everything from cold cuts to salads and stews, while the rich dark beers are best with smoked foods, sausages, and strong cheeses.

Promote Oktoberfest throughout the store with signage highlighting the different German specialties — from pickles to sauerkraut, confectionery, and Bavarian hams — perfect for an Oktoberfest. In the prepared foods department, offer specials on German potato salads, cold cut platters, salads, and stews for take-out to introduce consumers to the ways tasty German specialties can be used in the preparation of everyday meals.



Karneval/Fasching

(Late winter, just prior to Lent)

If you've ever visited Germany in the late winter, you might have been warned not to wear a tie because on the first day of Karneval, if you're caught wearing one, it'll be snipped right off with a pair of scissors — because it's time to enjoy life.

Like most German festivals, Karneval (Carnival) has a long history. The idea is similar to Mardi Gras, with emphasis on eating, drinking, and being merry in the days prior to Lent fasting. This prefasting festival eventually got out of hand, and in the 16th century was reduced to one week, ending on Ash Wednesday. It is a time when Germans break away from their daily activities to sing, dance, and be crazy.

Parades are held with floats, bands, and marchers costumed in clown outfits festooned in Carnival colors of gold, green, and purple. The most well-known Carnival cities are Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Mainz.

Almost anything goes in the Carnival celebration, so highlight the indulgent with German confections and cookies and create an overall sense of festival throughout the store. Decorate with balloons and streamers and throw an in-store Carnival party on the last Saturday before Ash Wednesday.

This is a great promotion in which to get children involved. During the Carnival party, set up a workshop where children can make masks for the celebration. Serve German cookies, candies, and other finger foods to the children who may then entice parents to purchase German specialties. Display the finished masks on a wall and have customers vote for the winners. Top prize could be a gift basket filled with German specialties, with runners-up receiving a box of cookies, confections, or any one of the hundreds of German specialties available during your Carnival promotion.



Weinfest

Celebrated from March to November, Germany's wine festivals date back 500 years. The festivals (nearly 1,250 countrywide) take place in many diverse places, including courtyards of ancient castles, on village squares, in vineyards, and on city streets, all to celebrate the harvest of the grapes.

Entertainment ranges from Bavarian oom-pah to rock and roll to classical and is accompanied by speeches from mayors, visits by wine queens, and displays of new and old wine-growing and processing equipment.

Wine isn't the only thing that is plentiful — there is plenty of food served up during that time. Regional favorites include cheeses, pretzels, cookies, confections, and sausages. Dinner menus are equally varied, with foods being matched up with the numerous wines.

Depending on your wine selection, you can offer up some great wine-and-food pairings. Match a Kabinett (which is low in alcohol) with hors d'oeuvres such as cold cuts, cheeses, canapés, and smoked fish. Pair the intensity of a sweet wine such as a Spatlese or Auslese with a pâté. Complement grilled, broiled, and sautéed seafood with a dry Kabinett. If it's pork, poultry, or veal, a dry or traditionally styled Kabinett or a Spatlese go well. Grilled meat would call for a red Spaburgunder or Trollinger.

For dessert, an Auslese can often serve as a dessert itself; however, they also pair nicely with traditional desserts. For the cheese course, a Kabinett with its low alcohol content and fruit flavor works well with hard cheeses. For the softer cheeses, try a richer wine such as Spatlese, while the blue-veined would call for an Auslese.

Don't forget to cross-merchandise in the deli by offering wines for customers to pick up at the same time they order their deli or prepared foods.



Christkindlmarkt

(pre-Christmas)

Christmastime is a special time for Germans, marked by one of the most exciting festivals, Christkindlmarkt. In fact, many of our own Christmastime celebrations come from Germany's Yuletide — Santa Claus, gingerbread, and even Christmas carols.

The most famous of the Christkindlmarkt celebrations takes place in Nuremburg beginning prior to the first Sunday of Advent and lasting through Christmas Eve. During this time, the town is transformed into a Christmas market specializing in toys and goodies for children.

Grilled sausages, Lebkuchen, cookies, and warm, spiced red wine can be enjoyed while one is listening to choirs singing traditional carols and hymns near Nuremburg's church.

Baked goods are an integral part of the Yuletide celebration, with the Dresden stollen being one of the most famous Christmas breads from Germany. Also quite popular is the Lebkuchen, a Christmas treat with a history that extends back to medieval times. This gingerbread cookie was prepared in monasteries and included seven spices in memory of the seven days in which God created the world. Production developed around Nuremburg in the 16th century at which time the recipe included honey, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and flour — later eggs, butter, nuts, and candied peel were added. Today, recipes vary throughout Germany, with the heart-shaped cakes being sold at Christmas, and the decorated gingerbread house being made of Lebkuchen dough.

On the confections side, Germany has a wonderful tradition of making great confections, from chocolate pralines to marzipan, a specialty of Lubeck and Konigsberg. This paste of sugar and almonds is made into large cakes, used as an ingredient in the stollen, and molded into a variety of different shapes and used as decorations for the Christmas tree.

There is no doubt that German sweets and biscuits are perfect for entertaining. Bring them all together in one display and mass out cookies, Lebkuchen, stollen, marzipan, and other German confections, giving your customers some great-tasting options for their holiday celebrations.



Mayfest

(held throughout May)

Mayfest is an ancient pagan festival that later took on religious significance, and served as a celebration of reawakening after winter. Today, it is a colorful and joyous part of German history and culture.

The tradition began in the 10th century when villagers would erect a maypole in the town center and decorate it with sausages, cakes, and ribbons. It was believed that dancing around the maypole would bring good luck and wealth.

Colorful drapery and flowers decorate cities and villages during this time and May kings and queens are elected. Not surprisingly, food and beer are plentiful throughout the celebration.

Say goodbye to winter and hello to spring with an in-store Mayfest celebration. Decorate with springtime flowers and create picnic baskets filled with German specialties ranging from cheese, bread, and wine, to sandwiches highlighting cold cuts, German sweet mustard, and of course, German pickles. Throughout the Mayfest celebration, offer ready-to-go picnic lunches for a quick lunchtime getaway, or a weekend stroll through the park. Take orders, but also have several prepared ahead of time for those last-minute picnickers.



Celebrate Sales

Since Germans like to celebrate, there are year-round opportunities to promote German specialties. Revisit your shelves, taking note of all those great-tasting German products you already sell. Bring them off the shelves and highlight their uses by creating a year-long parade of German celebrations. With a little creativeness and a great menu of German specialties, you can pump up sales throughout the year. T

An Interview with Dr. Dirk Buescher, Managing Director of CMA North America

The Gourmet Retailer: What are the current goals for the CMA North America office?

Dr. Dirk Buescher: With new management in Bonn, Germany, even more emphasis will be placed on export marketing within the overall strategy of the organization. Special attention will be directed towards the United States, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

As for our offices in North America, CMA has signed a long-term lease on its new office in Alexandria, Va., so we are certainly here to stay. This doesn't just mean a new place to work, but also new personnel and new projects to help promote the sale of imported German products. Our new project manager is Amanda Bond-Thorley. A native of Great Britain, Amanda spent seven years in Germany working for several companies before coming to the U.S. in 1998. She is currently working on a Master's Degree in International Commerce and Policy and she will be responsible for the implementation of nationwide programs with retailers to increase the sales of German foods throughout North America.

TGR: What new projects is CMA working on this year that will help further the sales of German food and beverages?

Buescher: One of our exciting new projects for this year is the development of a Virtual German Supermarket. In light of current market conditions and the positive outlook for e-commerce, particularly in the food sector, CMA intends to seize the opportunity to increase the sale of German specialties by sponsoring an independently based Internet shop for imported German products. We envision the structure of this to be as follows:

• The creation of a CMA-sponsored independent e-tailer platform in the form of a Virtual German Market on the Internet.

• The retention by CMA of a network administrator for two years to handle and administer all aspects of e-business between consumers, suppliers, and the shipping company.

• The project administrator will purchase ample supplies of each product from the importer for resale to Internet customers.

• The hiring of a fulfillment company to store, pack, and ship all Internet orders.

• The possibility of creating a two-tier Internet system to cater to both consumers (retail) and independent supermarkets and specialty food stores (wholesale LTL).

• CMA would market the Web site to the general public for two years through appropriate media.

• CMA would identify all German-American based clubs and introduce them to the Virtual German Market with an incentive program to purchase individual and club orders.

• All importers would be eligible to sell and market their products in the Virtual German Market.

Another project we're working on to improve our activities is the implementation of an importers advisory board. This panel of six will convene twice a year to advise CMA on potential projects for sales promotions and other proposals to strengthen the German position in the marketplace. The members of the panel will serve for a period of two years and will speak on behalf of all importers.

TGR: Could you please comment on the trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe and how they have affected German food and beverage imports?

Buescher: On the issue of trade disputes between the United States and Europe, the so-called "banana war" was settled peacefully on April 11, 2001. The agreement involves a transition to a tariff-only system by 2006. During the transition, import licenses for bananas imported to the EU will be allocated based on past trade. The sanctions imposed against EU imports since 1999 will be lifted on July 1, 2001. The Beef Hormone issue continues however to be a thorn in our side. The "carousel" has not been turned and the same products are still being penalized. Even though this places a great disadvantage on the products affected by the sanctions, the good news is that both parties are talking to resolve the matter. As you know, the United States has a tax issue with Europe and one could speculate that both disputes would be rolled into one to resolve the entire matter altogether. We are hopeful that an agreeable solution will be negotiated within the next few months.

Both Foot and Mouth and Mad Cow Disease continue to be of concern to both exporters and importers. At press time, an import ban on most dairy items (except some cheeses and butter) from the EU is in place due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. Although Germany is currently considered free of FMD, the U.S. has instituted a "blanket ban" for the EU. While most German products have so far been permitted entry without problems, since they are heat-treated, the situation is constantly changing and CMA has been working with the USDA on a case-by-case basis to resolve issues arising from dairy products held at the port of entry. As far as Mad Cow Disease is concerned, the U.S. has for the time being only instituted bans on proven affected countries.

Overall, we are satisfied with the situation pertaining to German imports; however, there is always room for improvement and the U.S. economy is, and will continue to be, the most viable market in the world. For newcomers and experienced suppliers alike, the market arena is equally leveled. It takes time, money, and determination to succeed but it is most definitely worth the effort in order to achieve long-term profitable goals.