"Danish berry growers are becoming few and far between. Wholesalers and retailers have pushed prices down over the years, to the point where they couldn't survive and only a few major growers remain. This is to the advantage of the few remaining producers, who are now in a position to keep prices high. We have seen this with cucumbers and tomatoes as well." a source from a major Danish importer shared.
Danish consumers want Danish berries, so they are willing to pay the price, no matter how expensive. This is especially true for strawberries, with the peak domestic season lasting for only 3 weeks, making it a very limited season.
Most domestic berries grown in Denmark are open field, although there is some greenhouse production, which still had supplies up until about a month ago. Peak season is in June-August, depending on the harvest.
There is currently a gap in supply for strawberries, so supplies are coming from Holland until the Italian and Spanish strawberry season starts. The Italian season is expected to start in week 48, followed by the Spanish supply a few weeks later. Once these seasons start, demand will start to increase again in the run up to New Year's Eve. The holiday demand will reach its peak in the two weeks before the New Year, fetching even higher prices than in the summer season. Prices for week 48 for strawberries from Sicily are set for around EUR 19/20 for prepacked 2.5 kilo boxes.
"We see almost no demand for berries this time of year, as demand has switched to citrus fruits, like clementines and oranges. Our market changes with the season, and now, with prices for strawberries out of Holland for EUR 50 per box, I'm glad that we don't have demand, because those kinds of prices are crazy." concludes the importer.