German Apples Day Date in the current year: January 11, 2024

German Apples Day was started in 2010 by the Federal Association of Fruit and Vegetables Producers (Bundesvereinigung der Erzeugerorganisationen Obst und Gemüse) as a part of a campaign titled “Germany – My Garden”. The main objective of the campaign is to encourage people to support local producers.

German shops and supermarkets allow consumers to choose from about 15 apple varieties, the most popular of which are Elstar, Braeburn, Jonagold/Jonagored, Gala, and Golden Delicious. The problem is, these cultivars aren't even German: Elstar was first developed in the Netherlands, Braeburn and Gala in New Zealand, and Jonagold and Golden Delicious in the United States. One of the main tasks of German Apples Day is to celebrate and promote German apple cultivars, such as Alkmene, Clivia, Geheimrat Dr. Oldenburg, Gloster, Pinova, etc.

German Apples Day is celebrated by giving out hundreds of thousands of apples in five major German cities. Every year, more and more German apples are distributed among kindergarteners, school students and passers-by for free. The campaign is supported by many businesses. For example, in 2020, FlixBus gave out about 20,000 apples to travelers who boarded the company's buses at the central bus stations in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.