Overview

• Libre-cueillette now represents roughly one-third of Alsace’s 2,000 tonnes of strawberry output, with Ferme Krieger dedicating three hectares to the practice
• Consumers harvest berries at about €4.30 per kilo—half typical retail prices—a draw for longtime pickers like Nathalie Jubault
• By shifting harvest duties to visitors, farms significantly reduce reliance on scarce seasonal labor and lower operational costs
• In La Wantzenau, Anne Clauss expanded her pick-your-own area to two hectares after 600 visitors gathered a tonne of berries in a single day
• Organic strawberry production remains marginal in the region due to disease-control challenges without chemical treatments