Sixty years ago, the three Meseguer brothers left Murcia, Spain, to expand the citrus trade of their region to the market halls of Paris. Today, Ets Meseguer is located in Rungis and continues to market Spanish citrus fruits.
Benoît Maillard-Guillon of Ets Meseguer says: "The Meseguer brothers started with citrus fruits from Valencia and Murcia. We continued with the same producers , and added others to increase the range. We also work with producers in Argentina and South Africa.” Citrus fruits account for 80% of the company's range. Ets Meseguer also offers stone fruits, seedless grapes and avocados.
According to Benoît, the citrus market is divided into two categories. "First of all, we offer high-end products, which we sell under the brand name 'Revelation'. In this sector, everything is going very well. Sales are regular, the customers are loyal, and as the quality is always high, we always have a good demand. Our high-end products are mainly bought by wholesalers on the French market, as well as Parisian traders looking for superior products, such as Orri tangerines, or sweeter oranges. We also export small volumes to the European market."
In the more standard market however, it’s much more complicated. "We're going to switch to the spring and summer seasons with melons, strawberries, some peaches and some nectarines. Our customers want to change, or boost their department with new products. Citrus fruits, apples, and pears will move to the back of the shelf a little."
Benoît: “The French are used to eating Spanish citrus fruits and the products always do very well. For stone fruits, things tend to go a different way. At the start of the season Spanish fruits are in demand because they are the earliest. In addition, the ripening of a Spanish product is more controllable than that of a Moroccan product. But as soon as the first French stone fruits come out, Spanish fruits are no longer in demand, despite their often superior quality."
According to Benoît, Argentinian lemons are becoming less and less of good quality. "I wonder if, since a few years, the beautiful fruits go somewhere else rather than to Europe. Fortunately, South African lemons are much better. In two weeks we will finish on the Primofiori, subsequently switching to new limes, the Vernas variety."
"For us, the expectations of the final consumer are fundamental. The fruit should always have the same taste, the same quality, the same colour, and the same appearance; we do not mix orchards and origins. It's a very specific job, but in my opinion this approach is the future. When we get to the top, that’s when we may do the conventional work as well."
"Our customers trust us, and most of them increase their range every year: they start with clementines, and a few years later they ask for mandarins, lemons, pomelos, oranges and nectarines. Our goals is to please them."
For more information:
Ets Meseguer
Benoît Maillard-Guillon
+33 146 864 170