Geflügelhof Schönecke Mercado

“Do you know how long I've known your family?” Henny Nieber once asked Heiner Schönecke, then 20, in 1966 at the Harburg weekly market. Henny remembered so precisely because she had to water Schoeneckes horse on the day of her confirmation. That was the Saturday before Palm Sunday in 1914. 1914 Heinrich Schönecke, great-grandfather of the current owner Henner Schönecke, harnessed his horse from the coal trade of Henny's family on the small Schippsee in Harburg when he sold his agricultural products at the Harburg weekly market on the sand. That was not the case every day, and there was always what the family's small farm in Elstorf threw away: apples, vegetables, sausages from house slaughter, or goods that Schönecke offered there on behalf of others. It went like this until the Second World War: the farmer was on the road for around two hours early in the morning, and on the way home he stopped here and there to deliver goods from the market to business and private households between Harburg and Elstorf like a haulier. 1941 After Heinrich Schönecke died in 1941 and the market was out of the question during the war, it went first with the horse-drawn vehicle, then with the 17 Güldner with trailer and from the later 1950s on with the progressive Tempo Wiking. Schönecke drove to the market three to four times a week, and son Heiner Schönecke was allowed to come along now and then. Cellar potatoes were a popular commodity at the time. The house slaughter also continued. Many Harburgers came to the Schönecke'schen Hof to have their pigs slaughtered by the butcher Otto Mojen from Schwiederstorf. The hook on which the animals for slaughter were hung can still be seen today on Schönecke's residential and commercial building. 1960 Laying hens were added in the 1960s. Suitable for the economic boom in an efficient cage. The eggs from their own keeping should become the new focus of marketing. The eggs were joined by soup hens, then poultry pieces such as breast and leg. The first market vehicle was purchased in 1968 so that they could be sold properly cooled. Heinrich and Heiner Schönecke took it to the weekly market - and they always stayed true to their location on the Harburger Sand. (Incidentally, this market is one of the oldest trading locations in Hamburg. Market events have been documented here for over 400 years!) The following development was rapid: Heiner and Ilse Schönecke set the focus on "eggs and poultry", which was previously unknown in the meat business, and expanded the range to include homemade egg salad, poultry sausage and turkey schnitzel. Success proved them right. 1996 The unusual concept was in demand: from 1996 to 2004 the Schönecke family opened several branches in Hamburg's shopping centers. Two market carts now serve the region's weekly markets. An open-air laying hen house was added in 1997 - a decision with foresight: in 2009, cage farming was abolished in Germany and Europe. However, the demand for free-range eggs was initially sluggish. Today things are different: the family business is a regional partner of the retail trade, and another free-range stable went into operation at the end of 2013 to meet the demand for regional eggs from the Schönecke company. Transparency has been part of Henner Schönecke's agenda from the very beginning: Only those who have seen how the animals are kept can get a real picture. Open days, visits to groups of visitors from clubs, kindergartens, schools and groups of friends are welcome and keep the family and team busy all year round. 2001 Henner Schönecke has been the managing director of the family business since 2001. His wife Ruth became a partner in 2011. Together they run the medium-sized company with around 120 employees and set their own accents. Organic meat, game and lamb complete a wide range of poultry that is unparalleled in Germany. In 2009, STERN included them in the “food plus” booklet as traders of special free-range poultry, and the two of them spontaneously launched an internet mail order company that continues to send market-fresh poultry through the country overnight - with increasing demand. The sense of family has remained: all teams work closely together, eat together, the employees are involved in decisions in the company in a large group and can contribute ideas. Many employees come directly from the region and some have been loyal to the Schönecke house for generations. The next generation in the family is already in the starting blocks. Of course, the company also trains: salespeople in the food trade, specializing in butchery, wholesale and foreign trade merchants and farmers. today Even today, the team welcomes customers to the Harburger Markt am Sand, but to the other 14 locations, who either knew "Grandpa" (Heinrich) Schönecke or Heiner Schönecke personally. A chat with customers is also a part of today's employees. The family is still behind the counter too. And support the seniors where they can, where they are allowed to, and enjoy watching the fifth generation grow into the company with the grandchildren.