The sponsorship deal of the year? Maximilian Czerwinski signs with Germany’s second-largest cucumber producer

Almost out of nowhere, Maximilian Czerwinski burst onto the darts scene at the start of 2025. Strong performances secured him a Tour Card, and he has since backed it up with a string of important first-round wins at Players Championship events. Now he’s making headlines off the oche as well: “The Cucumber” has signed a sponsorship deal with Reichenau Gemüse, Germany’s second-largest cucumber producer.

His nickname has a story every bit as quirky as it is charming. On a road trip to the Netherlands, Czerwinski and his mates stopped at a supermarket to stock up on snacks. While the rest of the group went for crisps or chocolate, he chose four whole cucumbers – his favourite snack since childhood. To everyone’s amazement, he ate them all during the journey. From that moment, the nickname “Cucumber” stuck – and it’s never left him. Even today, at ProTour events, he can often be found at the table contentedly crunching away on a cucumber.

The tie-up with Reichenau Gemüse feels like a perfect fit. Based on the shores of Lake Constance, the company is the second-largest cucumber producer in Germany and is now banking on Czerwinski’s growing profile. His management team, Mydartcoach, revealed on Instagram that the past few days had been packed: interviews, signing the contract, a tour of the factory and no fewer than three meet-and-greets for the 27-year-old. It marks an entirely new stage for Czerwinski – and for the brand, the ideal ambassador.

On the sporting front, however, Czerwinski has had to take a small step back. He announced on Instagram that he will miss Players Championships 24 and 25, as well as the qualifier for the World Series of Darts Finals, due to work commitments. For now, he is still employed full-time and can’t make every event. From September, though, he plans to reduce to part-time hours in order to devote more energy to darts.

The setback stings all the more given the timing. At present, he is around £6,000 short of breaking into the race for a World Championship place. Having not missed a tournament up to now, this enforced absence is a bitter blow. Yet “The Cucumber” remains optimistic: with his new sponsorship deal in place and a better balance between work and sport on the horizon, he hopes to make a decisive step forward come the autumn.