"There is a big push in Sweden and Scandinavia to offer as many organic products as possible and ginger is not very price sensitive, so it was a product where the switch was relatively simple," shared Jan Knute from TP Nordic.
The importer sources the organic ginger year round from China, along with Peru when it is in season (from August to April/May). Sourcing the organic ginger can be a challenge, as there are not so many growers and dealers in these countries which meet up to the company's high standards, but they have been fortunate to find enough to meet demand.
There were some teething issues in the beginning, issues with mold, but the importer has been working with suppliers to solve the issues and has found that longer drying times in the country of origin and better transport conditions with less humidity and correct temperature during sea transport has solved these issues.
"We offer ginger all year round, but we start heading towards peak demand once school starts and everyone has come back from the summer holidays and the weather starts to get colder. During this period, people are using it in cooking, especially as they are getting more adventurous and adding new cuisines to their repertoire. Two to three years ago, we sold almost no ginger in June, July and August, but we saw this change this year, now that many people are using the ginger in their smoothies and juices that they are making in the morning," continued Jan.
Depending on the requests from the customers, the ginger is sold loose or packaged in a small plastic bag.
"At the moment, more conventional ginger is being sold in Denmark, but they are also looking into making the switch to fully organic. I am not sure of the reason as to why it hasn't happened there, but I think that it is probably because it is seen as a small product and they just haven't gotten to it yet."
For more information:
Jan Knut
Total Produce Nordic
Tel: +46 42 450 23 00
Email: jan.k@tpnordic.dk
www.totalproducenordic.se