Currently, there is no great supply of Spanish fruit and vegetables. “Cucumbers are currently scarce here. I am not receiving the amounts from production that I want,” says Willem van Rooij from Hispalco. “The same is happening with bell peppers. These are good, qualitatively, but sizes are small. There is more availability in size G than in GG of our preferred quality.”
“Something similar is also happening with oranges. Last season, I sold 20 per cent more in this period. This is the result of the large supply of small sizes, which are sent to supermarkets more often, and we do not do business with them. Our customers demand larger sizes, but they now have to get used to the fact that these are not available. In Andalusia sizes might be slightly bigger, but they are not here in Valencia.”
Hispalco consciously chooses not to look for other channels to sell smaller sizes. “We are not looking for markets that are under pressure, and we have to anticipate innovation and specialities of prime quality to remain distinctive.”
“We have to increasingly compete with other production areas, so that does not make things any easier, but if we remain loyal to our quality and innovation, we will always keep afloat,” Van Rooij concludes.