Lidl Polska works with over 8,401 suppliers from Poland on a daily basis. This group includes Rajpol, one of the largest and most modern Polish fruit producer organizations.
Rajpol is a supplier to Lidl
It is Rajpol that supplies the chain with a rather unusual fruit – Polish watermelons, grown in southern Mazovia (especially around Grójec). These are special varieties that work well in our climate. Their main advantage is that they are picked when ripe, because they do not require several days of transport from southern Europe.
The benefits of Polish watermelons
From the moment domestic watermelons are harvested to the time they hit store shelves, a maximum of a few days pass. Watermelon is perfect as a light, summer snack. It is also low-calorie – it has about 30 kcal in 100 grams.
Polish watermelons have another advantage – shorter transport from field to table, which uses much less energy compared to watermelons imported from southern Europe.
Watermelon seedlings grown by Rajpol are planted in the ground in mid-May, and harvest begins in the first half of August. Most of the fruit weighs between 3 and 6 kg, although the record holder weighed as much as 15 kg.
– We have been cooperating with Lidl Polska for 13 years, primarily supplying apples, pears, organic fruits, as well as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and gooseberries. Lidl Polska inspired us to grow Polish watermelon and so since 2021 we have been growing it and planting more every year – we started with a dozen or so hectares in three locations, and this season ten fruit growers are growing it on several dozen hectares – adds Hubert Woźniak, president of the Rajpol Producers Organization.
What does cooperation with Lidl look like?
In September, participants and exhibitors at the POLAGRA trade fair in Poznań will be able to see for themselves what cooperation with Lidl Polska looks like. The chain has become the main partner of the event and one of the key exhibitors. Thanks to the presence of Lidl Polska representatives, exhibitors and guests will learn about the practical side of cooperation with regional suppliers, the issue of ecological investments, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.
– Our success was also positively influenced by our cooperation with Lidl Polska, which gives us a sense of security. Lidl is our key client, thanks to whom we can invest. Thanks to this cooperation, our products are also offered on foreign markets – in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania. We believe that our further cooperation will constantly develop, thanks to which we will constantly meet the high expectations of our customers. We intend to continue to invest in production lines, as well as introduce new products to the shelves of Lidl stores – adds Hubert Woźniak, president of the Rajpol Producers Organization.
