This year's glut of apples is causing a rush on Saxony's wine presses. "Last year we had a total shortfall, now the trees in gardens and orchards are full," said Andreas Mehlhorn, Chairman of the Saxony Fruit Juice Association, to the German press agency dpa. "We haven't had it like this for a long time."
Countrywide, there is currently a run on the wine press houses, says Mehlhorn. Masses of people are delivering apples from their orchards to be processed into juice. Because of the rush, there are long waiting times in many places. At his business in Langenbernsdorf (Zwickau district), customers have to wait between ten minutes and an hour for deliveries, says Mehlhorn. In the small town, there are currently regular traffic jams in front of his business.
The wine press houses process the fruit into juice. Those who deliver apples receive the juice at a reduced price. According to Mehlhorn, the association includes 38 companies in Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. There are also mobile presses that offer their services at various locations in the fall. Here, too, demand is reported to be immense. "Unfortunately, we can't satisfy all customers at the moment," writes Andreas Richter, provider of a mobile juicer in the Leipzig area, on his website.
