He explains that lime sector has dealt with several difficulties. “Brazil has had many difficulties in terms of quality because of rain. There have been several issues at the point of arrival in Europe. We work with several clients, so we also import limes from Brazil. However, we haven´t been very happy with the quality this season. Therefore, us and also our clients are happy to switch to the Mexican supply that has the right colour and quality. This took a while, but now finally we foresee bigger volumes being exported to Europe.”
Export to Europe
San José Tropical has limes available all year round, which also exports big volumes to the United States. Saucedo Nuñez explains that this year they have missed out on shipping to Europe for about 6 weeks. “We have the commitment with our
clients, so we try to supply them with our limes the whole year. During these 6 weeks without shipments to Europe was due to the weather conditions, the European market was flooded with Brazilian supply and prices in America were sky high. The American market is good for prices, however, we believe Europe is good for the continuity so we try to ship to Europe as long as possible.”“We have clients throughout all of Europe. Besides the Netherlands, we export to Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland”, says Saucedo Nuñez. All limes that are exported to Europe have social compliance. For example, the company is the only lime exporter in Mexico that has the Fairtrade certificate. “This makes us unique and also gives us a competitive advantage.”
There is an increase in production of the Persian lime variety in Mexico. “More regions are starting lime production. However, so far the Veracruz region is considered to have the best quality limes for European export. Also, for example the location and soil make Veracruz the main supplier for Europe. More regions with production of the Persian variety, especially affects the local producers. There is less production in Veracruz, but in other parts of Mexico the production is at normal pace. The growth of production will only increase the volumes for export to the United States.”
Retailer directly to source
As Fruta del Huerto receives its limes directly from companion San José Tropical, they are more retail focused. “We have a benefit when we deal with the retailers. As producers, we are able to agree on year prices and also guarantee availability of production. So when retailers are starting negotiations with us, they speak directly to the source.”
Fruta del Huerto only started since December last year, however Saucedo Nuñez has experience in the fresh produce sector. “We work with a packing house in Mexico. Then we import the fruit to our location in Breda, the Netherlands. This is where we repack the fruits into smaller (retail) packaging, for example in net or flowpack. The company is certified with both Global Gap and Fairtrade (FLO). All together, we believe we have the best combination now: direct contact, office in Europe and the ability to repack the limes into preferred packaging.”
For more information:
Efrain Saucedo Nuñez
Fruta del Huerto
Netherlands
T: +31 180 454 631
E: sales@frutadelhuerto.com
www.frutadelhuerto.com
Alejandro Torres Guerra
San Jose Tropical Fruits
Mexico
T: +52 55 8421 29 00
E: Alex@sanjoseproduce.com
www.sanjoseproduce.com