Over 2,000 kilos of fresh courgettes are sorted here every da

How many different types of fruit and vegetables are there in the Migros range? There are a total of 800 different varieties available at different times of the year depending on the season. Jakob Wolf knows all about freshness. After all, as a goods specialist, he has to know and check all these varieties as soon as they are delivered to the Schönbühl distribution centre in the morning.

At the beginning of the season, Wolf tests to see whether a product has enough flavour and decides at the end of the season when the time has come to remove it from sale. In spring, when almost 500 fresh products are in the range at the same time, some important decisions must be made.

Berries are particularly tricky

As soon as a lorry reveals its load, like on this early Friday morning in March, Wolf comes by with a weighing machine, scanner and tablet to check the crates – are the broccoli heads the right colour? Do the potatoes meet the specified size requirements?

There is a list of criteria that each product has to meet. What’s the most difficult fruit in the range to assess? “Strawberries, of course. Berries are generally tricky. They bruise easily and are only really ripe for a short period”. Wolf must assess the condition of every product right now.

However, he has to think ahead too – will the fruit still have the best flavour for customers after a day in the supermarket and two days in the fridge at home?

He is in constant contact with staff at all Aare Cooperative stores and incorporates their feedback into his assessments.    

A wild ride for broccoli, tomatoes and apples

The many tomatoes that Wolf checks that morning – which include the Murice, Merinda and Ochsenherz varieties – can count themselves lucky: Wolf is satisfied with his spot checks and approves the containers.

As it's over 3,000 steps from one end to the other, the crates and containers full of fruit and vegetables are placed on pallets.

“From this point onwards, we are almost like a Europa Park for Migros products”, says a smiling Heinz Kaderli, who is responsible for fresh produce logistics in Schönbühl, i.e. ensuring that all fruit and vegetables arrive at the right store at the right time. 

A forklift truck transports the pallets – 4,000 to 6,000 of them per day – from the lorry to the first stop-off point with the swiftest of movements. Or they chug from one zone to the next on a conveyor belt.

Sometimes it only takes an hour from the arrival of the products to their departure, while other times it can take about a day. They should never stay in Schönbühl for long. That's why Kaderli is most satisfied when his shelves are quickly empty once more. “Because that means we've delivered the goods as fresh as possible”.

Chaos with a system  

If delivery to the stores takes place at a later point, the products get a short break. When this happens, a lift shoots them up at dizzying speed and parks them. According to the technical jargon, this procedure is 'completely chaotic'.

“This simply means the tomatoes can sometimes be at the front and other times at the back – simply wherever there is space available. It sounds like chaos, but there is a system behind it”, says Kaderli, explaining the term.

Little is left to chance in Schönbühl. All of the systems and machines run automatically. The one for chilled products has been in operation since last year and runs entirely without the need for manual labour.

The fruit and vegetables are still handled, not least because the products are delivered in different containers sometimes in crates, sometimes in cardboard or wooden boxes.    

Tetris on the pallet

A warning lamp lights up several hundred times a day, signalling faults on the systems. But that's no cause for concern, says Kaderli reassuringly. “Most are rectified within a matter of seconds. For example, part of the packaging might be extending out of the container and covering the barcode”.

This is particularly tricky when the pallet passes the selfie spot. Here a camera picks up the products and scans the barcode assigned to each crate. This means the entire system knows where each product is located at all times.

After a short breather high up on the top shelves, it's time for the crates to set off on their journey again. Once the delivery for a store is ready, the small containers of fruit and vegetables are placed on a new pallet.

As the Grenchen store, for example, has ordered one crate of mango, three crates of broccoli, five crates of potatoes and ten containers of apples, the pallet is home to a wild mix put together during the picking process.

How chilled and non-chilled products are transported together

While most stores receive one delivery a day from Schönbühl, large stores can get more. But how does this actually work if a lorry has to transport chilled products, such as yoghurt or mozzarella, as well as non-chilled ones like broccoli and tomatoes?

Kaderli demonstrates how this is done on a ramp with a parked lorry – first the pallets of chilled products go in. Then the remaining pallets of fruit and vegetables are added.

In between, an insulating wall ensures the chilled products remain cold and the other products remain at the right temperature. The broccoli heads, Merinda tomatoes and Braeburn apples soon arrive at the store.

The broccoli with tousled heads, red-headed tomatoes and slightly sour apples, but all perfectly refreshed – just as Migros products should be after an action-packed day at Europa-Park.