The season of Italian cherries started earlier than usual this year. "They arrived around ten days earlier," says Dirk Biltereyst of importer Van Lier. "The weather conditions in Italy were favourable and this means we can already offer the lovely cherries from Orchidea Frutta."
High prices
It's still quite cold in Belgium. "This means the sales are mediocre. The prices are still high, but this is normal for the start of a reason. At the moment we are asking 11 to 13 Euro per kilo." According to Dirk it is difficult to predict how the season will go. "You can say for sure where it will be in two weeks for most fruits and vegetables, but it is especially complicated to look ahead with cherries. It's a very delicate product. One hail storm can be enough to destroy a large part of a production zone. We also have to look at it day by day for the market and there are a lot of factors influencing the situation. The supply from other countries, the quality, the supply of other fruit, you name it. A lot depends on the climate conditions in the production zones. The Belgian production also has influence. Everything is blooming now and we will have to wait and see what the year will bring in volumes and how high the prices will be."
Cherries all year round
Van Lier import cherries globally. "At the moment we are selling Italian, but soon we will have both Spanish and French cherries in our assortment. Then, connecting to the Belgian season, we will start with the American and Canadian cherries. We have Chilean and Argentinian cherries in our range around the turn of the year."
Orchidea Frutta
The Italian cherries are presented under the brand Orchidea Frutta and packaged in boxes of two kilos. Later in the season the cherries are also packaged in five kilos. Orchidea Frutta is an Italian grower and exporter. The company has been Van Lier's partner for years and is praised for its innovation in new grape varieties and cherries.