In 2009 Masr Fruit started in Barendrecht in the Netherlands. Now the Dutch location has been located at ABC Westland in Poeldijk for a number years and the company has locations in France, Germany, Sweden, Russia and the UK. With most of its own cultivation in Egypt - Masr means Egypt - Masr Fruit supplies sweet potatoes, spring onions, strawberries, citrus, fresh garlic, grapes, red onions and pomegranates throughout the season. The company has also started with the Moroccan production of tomatoes, spring onions and beans.
"There is a lot of synergy between the various locations. We can divide large volumes over the various countries and add where necessary. This means we can supply the largest customers. We produce ourselves or buy whole fields, meaning there is no extra link between the cultivation and the buyer. This way we can serve the customers to their specifications," says Youssef Moussa. According to the trader the Russian boycot on European produce hasn't benefited the export of Egyptian product much. "Russia remains a large market, but the advantages of access to the Russian market didn't out weigh the disadvantages of the devaluation of the ruble. It certainly wasn't a great year for export to Russia."
Masr Fruit has wide sales and supplies directly to retailers, to the suppliers of retailers and also has a lot of custom on the German wholesale markets. With a branch location in the new Food Center Westland the retail trade in the Netherlands is also being foreseen of Egyptian product. "Spring onions are our main product. We grow them ourselves on a large scale in Egypt and supply them to customers in many European countries. Depending on the course of the German season we start our season in October or November," says Youssef. He sees the popularity of spring onions grow each year and believes this is due to the attention they are given in cooking shows.
Excellent grape season
Masr Fruit finished the grape season this week and it went according to plan. "India finished earlier due to weather conditions and this meant that Egypt started with good prices. The start for Egypt was also slightly later and the volumes weren't sufficient to meet the demand. There were hardly any grapes available, which meant that the prices remained at a high level all season. It wasn't until last week that the prices collapsed, but we haven't seen such a long period with good prices for years. Last year was even one of the worst grape seasons ever," says Youssef. He laments the delays that affected the protected variety Early Sweet, due to the checks carried out at all airports and ports this season, which were often unjustified in his eyes.
At the moment Masr Fruit is receiving the last containers of red onions from Egypt. The season moderate so far, most likely due to the sufficient supply of Dutch red onions, which has led the company to end the Egyptian season early. With the production in Morocco Masr Fruit not only has a second source to spread the risks, but also a production area. "This year we had a good line from Egypt but the product is still travelling for 7-8 days. A truck from Morocco can be in the Netherlands within four days, and we can extend certain seasons with this," concludes Youssef.
For more information:
Masr Fruit International B.V.
ABC Westland 468
2685 DE Poeldijk
Tel: +31 (0) 180 713 017
Mob: +31 (0) 617 063 763
Fax: +31 (0) 180 713 018
info@masrfruit.com