In what has become an annual occurrence, the banana market in Poland has been down this start of summer. With stiff competition from domestic strawberries, prices for the usually-popular banana have been under pressure.
Strawberries Edge Out Bananas
“Polish consumers are traditional consumers,” explained Bart Szatkowski of Quiza. “They're used to local products that are seasonal, especially when it comes to strawberries, which are known as the miracle fruit.” Production of local berries comes on fast and strong, and when the uniquely sweet fruit is available, Polish consumers can't get enough of them. The downside for all other products is that it's tough to compete with the berries when they are in season.
“The strawberries have a short shelf life, so the market is flooded with strawberries and then they disappear in a few weeks,” said Szatkowski. Current banana prices are around 90 cents per kilo, but because this annual dip in demand is anticipated, import volumes are also kept in check to ensure that prices don't get too low. Over its 25 years of existence, banana suppliers like Quiza have learned to navigate the intricacies of the Polish market.“We have a good reputation through many years of existence,” said Szatkowski. “We are a ripener and a distributor, but we also have our own production we sell under our private label.” That kind of flexibility allows Quiza to compete with even bigger European distributors, who, because of Poland's open regulations, are all operating and competing in Poland. Despite that competition, Szatkowski estimates Quiza has been able to carve out a local market share that's somewhere between 15 and 20 percent.
“Low price is the key in Poland, but we must also focus on quality and food safety,” said Szatkowski. “We conform to GlobalG.A.P. and ISO 22000 standards. Nowadays fresh produce distribution means responsibility and reliability. Quiza’s philosophy based on healthy diet through safe and tasty product marketing requires unification of product quality specifications, adaptation of personalized sourcing procedures, intensification of traceability and monitoring on all stages of logistic processes. We can not forget that at the end of the banana life cycle is the final consumer who always expects the best quality product at the lowest price.”
Poland a Competitive Market
Only about 10 percent of Quiza banana turnover volume is distributed throughout Western Europe because those markets are mostly closed for Eastern European suppliers. That makes Poland a very competitive landscape. On the other hand competition stimulates innovation and progress. Because Poland didn't have big ripening or production facilities for bananas just 20 years ago, the recently build infrastructure to handle processing of fresh banana is considered as one of the most modern in Europe.
“The primitive facilities have disappeared,” said Szatkowski. “In Poland, there are several banana suppliers, and they are all very professional. There is no place for newcomers. Everybody present in the market is very professional and innovative.”
For more information:
Bart Szatkowski
QUIZA Sp. z o.o.
Tel: +48 58 629 66 00
bart@quiza.pl
www.quiza.pl