The red pomelo and sweetie seasons are over, but grapefruit is in full swing. “The season started well, but it is slowing down now”, says Oron Ziv, Befresh Europe’s General Manager, about the grapefruit season. “This is normal as November is a quiet month for grapefruit.”
He added that he started the season with very good prices. “We will have to see if this continues. It is a long season.. We keep sending grapefruits from Israel until April.”
Oron says they are also starting with the white pomelo season. “Europe is no longer a player when it comes to this product”, says Oron. “We cannot compete with the Chinese pomelo. He says that since Israeli pomelos are a niche product, with relatively small volumes, they go to other areas of the world.
Befresh Europe exports other products too. “Dates are an important product for us,” says Oron. “It has been going well so far, and we are busy trying to develop new markets for our dates.” He says dates are definitely a more stable market than other crops. When asked if he saw competition growing in this market, Oron said, “I have seen a lot of new plantations in the Mediterranean, including Israel. I don’t know what the future will bring, but so far it is a very interesting item.”
“We have also finished with the early varieties of pomegranates,” he says. “Now we are getting into the Wonderful season.” After that they will also start with Mineola’s at the beginning of next month.
Befresh Europe promotes these marketing programs in conjunction with Direct Source International, a Dutch Fresh Produce Service Providing company, in countries like France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.