Greece: More imported bananas this Easter

Greece is seeing a small spike in demand for imported bananas, which is mainly due to Easter. Afterwards, the demand and volumes for imported bananas are expected to diminish. “At that moment, the Greek season for summer fruit will start yielding large volumes. Also, demand should decrease due to the summer holiday, explains the Greek banana importer, Stefanos Verykios.

According to Verykios, his company doesn’t really consider there to be a high and a low season for imported bananas. “The prices are currently higher when compared to previous months, but they don’t really represent a high season. Our supply lasts the year round, thanks to our longstanding partnership with Dole bananas.”

Verykios says it’s hard for an independent importer to establish his own brand in the Greek market. “It’s not a smart commercial move to set up your own brand. We’ve been working with Dole for over 10 years to supply bananas to Greece.”



The Greek season for summer fruits should start at the beginning of May. Most importers will drastically lower their volumes, though Verykios is able to keep reductions to a minimum. “Starting from the 15th of June, we’ll lower our volumes by 3 to 6% per week. All in all, we won’t reduce more than 25 to 30% of our import. Immediately after the end of August, we’ll increase our volumes again.”

He also added that the stability plays a key role for his company. “Our supply is stable, as we work with a set of loyal customers. We don’t want to be a huge player, but rather a stable supplier with a set target. During an economic crisis, you need to have a stable presence in the market. Just haphazardly increasing your company is too risky,” says Stefanos.