Despite the difficulties, Damian Kozłowski says investment in sorting and storage is helping it pivot towards the fresh market and new opportunities
The frosts experienced in Poland earlier this year have undoubtedly taken their toll on topfruit volumes.
According to Gruppa Organic CEO Damian Kozłowski, whose company specialises in organic apples and pears, around one-third of the crop was hit by the cold snap.
”Apples from the previous season were sold out in June 2026,” he tells Fruitnet.
”Unfortunately the frosts had a big impact. We have lost about one-third of the crop. The same happened to many of our growers, and in general in Poland we have lost more than one-third of the crop.”
These are not the only challenges facing Polish apple and pear growers, Kozłowski explained, with the industry also feeling the knock-on effects of geopolitical instability, conflict, and logistical issues.
”The biggest impact is the high cost of energy for the storage of apples and pears, as well as fuel,” he continued. ”We have our own logistics park with ten lorries, so we see how the margins are shrinking.”
Despite the challenges, there is also much optimism. The group has, in recent years, enhanced its operations and increased its fresh offering.
”When we invested in a modern warehouse and new sorting lines in 2024 and 2025 for apples and pears, we focused on the table (fresh) market more,” Kozłowski pointed out.
“Before, we had been working mainly with products for processing.”
The company’s notable varieties include Royal Gala, Red Prince and Jonagored for apples, as well as Conference and Lucas pears.
Gruppa Organic counts Germany and Scandinavia among its key export markets, and is also building a partnership in the UK which Kozłowski hopes will offer long-term growth – although he admitted that the demands in the UK are “high pressure”.
”We hope the organic sector will grow in the next five years in Poland and in Europe, so we all can have more healthy food and life,” Kozłowski added.
