The early start of the Polish blueberry season has had a negative effect on prices for growers, with too much competition on the market.
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We started picking 3 weeks ago, which means that we entered the market the same time as other European producers in our region. Typically, there is a quiet period of a couple of weeks once the Spanish season has ended and the we come into the market around 10-15 July," shared Marcin Hermanowicz from Fresh Fruit Service.
We started picking 3 weeks ago, which means that we entered the market the same time as other European producers in our region. Typically, there is a quiet period of a couple of weeks once the Spanish season has ended and the we come into the market around 10-15 July," shared Marcin Hermanowicz from Fresh Fruit Service.Fresh Fruit Service supplies blueberries to the domestic market and exports to countries such as the UK, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium.
"We have invested in late varieties like Liberty over the last few years, which I think will be to our advantage as the season progresses. The season should last until the beginning of September and I don't expect too large of quantities coming from South America until a little later. This means that although we are starting with lower prices now, I believe that prices will get better as the season progresses," Marcin explains.
The length of the season also depends on the suitability of the berries to be put into storage for longer periods. The temperatures in the coming weeks are expected to be between 20-25 degrees Celsius, which Marcin said would make them strong enough to maintain good quality and stored up to 8 weeks if necessary.
"We are able to suit our clients needs in terms of packaging of the berries, anywhere from 100gr to 3.5 kg bulk crates. We started with larger packaging last year, offering consumers 1/2 kg buckets during the peak of the season and that went really well, so we are planning on offering the larger packaging again this year. It is a win-win situation for both consumers and producers. The consumers are adding more and more berries to their regular diet, so they can easily consume the bucket, and it's a great way for producers to sell larger volumes in a shorter period of time. The smaller snack packs tend to be offered as supplies decrease," concludes Marcin.
For more information:
Marcin Hermanowicz
Fresh Fruit Services
Tel: +48 483121877
Fax: +48 483121511
Email: marcin@ffs.com.pl