Maltese fresh produce importer collects trade in Genoa and ships it to island from there

“Ten years ago, the Maltese only looked at price, but now they would rather buy a smaller amounts of a good-quality product than a larger volume for a lower price,” Mark Mizzi from Mafimex says. Mafimex supplies to all kinds of businesses, from street vendors to cruise ships. “Every client has different needs, but they all want quality.” Quality is the company’s foundation. “It is what has kept us going. Over the years, we have contributed to the welfare of our society. We don’t just sell, we provide a service, by paying personal attention to our customers, so that they receive the products they want. Anyone can import anything, but you want the final customer to ask for you specifically. That’s why presentation and quality are so important. You need to have good programmes with serious companies. However, if you’re a small company just starting out, we’ll give you a chance, as long as you’re producing good products at competitive prices. After all, we were small once, too.”

Many domestic fruit and vegetable traders come to buy the produce

Mafimex was founded by Mark Mizzi’s father 50 years ago to sell produce. He always believed Maltese product was just as good as any other product, and his dream was always that his products would be exported. Every morning he would make a list of products for his associate to buy, even though there wasn’t much space at the small shop to store the products, the lorries were unloaded in front of the shop. From that, the company grew into a wholesaler that supplied to different local markets every day. “When Malta joined the EU, it was a turning point for us,” Mark says. Joining the EU meant that Malta joined the free market. “Our supply wasn’t enough for the local market, so we started importing. We brought a variety of products to Malta, instead of just one type of apple, we would bring several different varieties to Malta.”

Mark Mizzi in the middle

Local supply
Local supply amounts to about 15 to 20 per cent of the company. “It’s our responsibility to provide for the welfare of each and every one of our customers, we are part of a chain. Local production depends on the weather. This year, we had a relatively fair season, and fruit production is therefore expected to be good.” The increase of tourism also requires more fresh produce. Mafimex imports 38 per cent of its produce from Italy, 26 per cent from the Netherlands and 15 per cent from Spain. “Spain is a relatively new market, it only opened to us about three years ago.” Import from non-EU countries (Israel, Egypt, South Africa and South America) amounts to 18 per cent. “We also import Zespri kiwifruit from New Zealand, we have been distributing this product for five years now. Other products we import are Val Venosta, Exsa, Mona Lisa and Bouquet, among other brands.”

Fresh produce has been imported from all of Europe and North Africa

“One of the largest disadvantages we face is the fact that Malta is a small island. Costs and logistics are a considerable factor in our purchasing decisions. We have to consider all of the additional costs at the moment we buy,” Mark says.

Ripening facility
The company has its own ripening facility for bananas on the first floor, and they have their own cooling cells. These are located underground so that the produce doesn’t have to be cooled back down from 40 ºC in summer. There’s also a separate department where the orders for catering are prepared on the first floor.

These cooling cells are underground, so they can cool in a sustainable way

All of the imported products are transported to and gathered in the port of Genoa, from where the product is shipped to Malta in the company’s own trailers. “We import about 13 or 14 lorries per week. We get bananas directly from Colombia and Costa Rica. We only work with lorries from Europe, because that’s much quicker than container transport. This results in shorter transit times, which is necessary because we work with perishables,” Mark says. “Last year, we set up our own network of trailers, this ensures the reliability that our customers have come to expect from us. This way, we try to keep prices low and efficiency high.” All the products are gathered in the port of Genoa, from where the product is shipped to Malta in the company’s own trailers.

Argentinian pears. Local production of pears is too small to supply the demand.

Potatoes
Mark explains that Mafimex exports potatoes to Europe. “We only export Alpha potatoes to the Netherlands. The first shipment of Alphas will be loaded and sent on 29 April. We work with a lot of old farmers, who are unwilling to change their varieties. They know they’ll get good prices for their Alpha potatoes from the Dutch. The Alpha season lasts about six weeks. This year will see slightly smaller volumes than last year, but it will be a good harvest.”

Cauliflower from Brittany. Mafimex collects all trade in Genua and from there they import it into Malta

Niche markets
Malta has 40,000 houses and flats that are empty half the year. “These houses are built for tourists, so they’re empty a lot. But construction is practically the only investment option for the Maltese. Our market isn’t varied, the stock exchange is limited, and companies are small,” Mark explains. “Tourism is much more year-round now. There used to be more peaks and calm periods, but it has levelled out more. Gozo, the northernmost island of Malta, is also a good market. Many Maltese people go here in winter, creating tourism.”

The ripening room is also underground

“We try to prepare for the future by always being on the lookout for new items. One such example is organic produce. We also import nuts and dried fruits, but we want a more varied range of these products. As long as it’s connected to our business, we are interested in it.”

Lidl, the German supermarket chain, has also arrived in Malta. “It’s a discounter, and it started out as one when it first came to Malta. But over time, they started increasing prices, and its prices are now 20 to 25 per cent higher than Italian or Sicilian Lidl prices. We no longer supply to them,” Mark concludes.

For more information:
Mark Mizzi
MAFIMEX
mark.mizzi@mafimex.com
www.mafimex.com