Difficult market
He says the lime market is erratic. “Prices regularly fluctuate, it’s very unpredictable. There should be more structure in the future. Of course, that’s not always easy, because not everyone has permanent buyers and ships large volumes. We listen to what the market wants, and we try to make direct agreements with retailers. That’s how we ensure a stabler price level.”
According to Gerhard, limes aren’t very well-known in Europe. “People are obviously familiar with lemons. We need to educate consumers on lime uses and that they can be substituted for lemons.” Wonderful Citrus wants to promote the product in Europe. “Years ago we did this with pomegranates. Most consumers didn’t even know how to open the pomegranate, and how to consume it. We taught them that. We should now be educating them more in the field of limes. To that end, we are looking to expand our sales in Europe”.
Asia more important
In general, Wonderful Citrus focuses more on Asian countries. “It’s much more logical for us than Europe. Transport from California to Asia is about 12 days. To Europe, it’s more than double that. I expect Asia will become even more important for us in future,” Gerhard concludes.
For more information:
Gerhard.Leodolter@wonderful.com