Temperature map: edamame beans in Germany

Father of three daughters, Benedikt Sprenker, is the third generation of his family to farm here. He could never have predicted that they would grow edamame beans on the farm. "One day, my wife and I were sitting on the sofa with a book about soybeans," he recalls. "We read about tofu, Asian sauces and edamame, which we'd not heard of before," he says with a grin. The idea of growing these beans was born, and a glance at the temperature map only strengthened their resolve. In addition to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany, in 2009, the region around his farm was identified as being suitable for growing soybeans.

"So for two years, we experimented with growing edamame beans," which, he explains, involved a great deal of trial and error. "In the third year, we finally got our first successful edamame harvest." Today, his produce can be found in regional food retailers. "It's not everyone that gets their products onto the supermarket shelves," he says proudly.

#AgriChallenges Superfoods from Germany: when soybeans are more locally grown than potatoes

#AgriChallenges

Superfoods from Germany: when soybeans are more locally grown than potatoes