"We can rightfully say we are a specialist in overseas top fruit"

Last year Matthijs Nijhoff started TripleF Fruit, which stands for First For Fruit Supply. Trusted names in the TripleF Fruit team are Jacco van Paasschen and Nicole Kersten. "We want to be leading in the overseas top fruit segment. We want to assure our retailers and other customers of an extraordinarily large and extensive assortment of diverse varieties with this."

"We made a flying start this year. The apples in particular are popular this year. The coloured apples are very pricey. This is in part due to the limited availability of European apples. There are slower sales in the pears like Abate Fetel and Forelle. I think the heat in Northern Europe is affecting those sales but there is enough product available."

"We can rightfully say that we are a specialist in top fruit of the southern hemisphere. Our supplier database consists of well known names such as Unifrutti and Greenvic from Chile and Taylor from New Zealand. We have also invested considerably in soft fruit in recent years, as many overseas growers are able to supply us with products like blueberries and red currants," says Matthijs. "We see that in recent years there has been heavy investment in product specialisation, including in the world of retail. And rightfully so, the trade moves quickly. That's why you have to be able to act fact. You can only do this if you know exactly what you're doing, work with the right partners and are there for your customers 24/7. Our focus is on retail, as with the size of our package we can't trade day to day. Most of our customers are in Northern Europe where we supply different retailers daily, mainly on the Dutch and German market. Additionally we also work with parties that are active on the day trade."

The first Pink Lady apples have arrived from the southern hemisphere at TripleF Fruit. When asked about the importance of these club varieties, Mattthijs answers: "Club varieties are very important to us, but also as important to our customers. Consumers come for them. A Pink Lady is a shining example of this. We are proud to be one of the license holders who are able to import Pink Lady from the southern hemisphere. We have a serious position in this and will expand it."

According to Matthijs exclusivity isn't a condition. "We have suppliers, who are strategic partners that we have been working with for over ten years. Those people work with us exclusively or not exclusively. This is also often down to the final customer. You can't and don't want to always have everything for yourself if you can't do the grower justice. At TripleF Fruit long term relationships, honesty and collective interests are central. This goes for the side of the growers as well as the supplier."

When asked whether the product availability is under pressure as a result of demand from new markets, Matthijs confirms this. "The global demand has grown strongly and we see a better price ratio in Europe, which is better for the growers on the southern hemisphere in end as well. Overseas fruit used to be viewed suspiciously, as it was said to influence the Dutch or European trade. We see a shift in this now, and so we should, if you can foresee a consumer of fresh product, then you're doing something right in our eyes. We also additionally use European and Dutch fruit to satisfy our customers all year round."

"We are thankful for the position that we have now with our customers and suppliers. At the same time we have a view for the future and would like to be able to serve another one or two retail customers with our top fruit and growing soft fruit package and with a total logistics model. We have the product available for it. But most of all the focus is on continuing to do what we do now well!"

For more information:

Matthijs Nijhoff
TripleF Fruit
De Ooyen 5b
4191 PB Geldermalsen
Tel: +31 88 185 10 01
m.nijhoff@tripleffruit.com
www.tripleffruit.com