The Way to the Stars

“Our work is our life.” You hear this phrase quite often when you speak with Konrad Hill and his wife Brigitte.”  You can only operate a company like Hill’s Fruit Shop as a couple,” say the pair. “After all, those who deal in fresh fruits and vegetables have to get up very early. Most partners could not put up with that.” This way, the Hills get to spend each day together.

Brigitte Hill-Dockendorff and Konrad Hill maintain a rhythm of life, which would take some getting used to for most people. “We aim to go to bed around four o’clock every afternoon because the alarm rings again at 10:30 pm,” say the Hills. When others are going to bed the couple is gathering the current prices of suppliers around the world and working through the orders sent by fax or e-mail or left on the answering machine during the afternoon. Then the commissioning begins.

During the night the company from Bad Kreuznach gets their fresh goods delivered. “This is usually organized by our direct import partners and their contractors”, says Konrad Hill. However for the distribution of goods, Hill’s Fruit Shop uses their own vehicle fleet, which leaves at around 4:30 am. It consists of two Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, an Atego and seven Sprinters. “Three of them are Sprinter 313 CDI with a cooling module from Kerstner,” says the owner. “Many fruits and vegetables are heat sensitive. Therefore, we store them at temperatures between five and six degrees and transport them professionally cooled. ”

The Hills also send their Sprinters to collect goods from direct producers in Germany. “In summer we get plenty of lettuce, potatoes, onions and plums from the local area,” says Konrad Hill. Not only that, in the 600-square-meter warehouse you can find a variety of exquisite products from all around the world: Thai mangoes, dragon fruits from Malaysia, Chinese mushrooms, sugar snap peas from Kenya, Israeli mint and much, much more.

“Premium quality – that goes without saying,” says Brigitte Hill-Dockendorff. “After all, among our customers are a half a dozen star chefs and a number of top restaurants and hotels.” They often have special requirements and for them not only is the taste important but also the appearance. But Hill’s Fruit shop is not only a high-class supplier. “Our client list also has such names as McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway, as well as hospitals, nursing homes and prisons,” lists Konrad Hill.

The Hills do this logistical masterpiece every day, upon which their customers can rely.

http://www.fruechtehill.de/