Marni Fruit has started the Spanish medlar season. "We work with medlars every year, especially for the Dutch market. People with Turkish and Moroccan backgrounds in particular are familiar with the medlars," says Erik-Jan Thur. "Throughout the years there has been slightly more demand, but there isn't an explosive growth. Most of the consumers haven't yet discovered the possibilities of medlars. The possibilities for restaurants would also be huge. You can also make jam and liquor from them."
The Spanish medlars are grown both in the Valencia and Malaga areas. "We work with various brands. Ruchey is one of them. This brand is like the 'Coca Cola' of medlars. Ruchey has a slightly different variety than that grown in the south and this flavour is more appreciated in the market," says the importer.
The expression 'as rotten as a medlar' does the product justice, according to Erik-Jan. "The riper the medlar, the tastier. Of course everyone prefers the product without peel damage, but this is hardly possible with medlars. This is why the price difference for Class II isn't as big as with other Class II products."
For more information:Marni Fruit BV
Gebroken Meeldijk 52
2991 VD Barendrecht
ej@marnifruit.nl
www.marnifruit.com