The overseas citrus season is just about to end and there is a slow shift to products from Spain. A German importer of citrus fruit from overseas reviews the past season: "There are still stocks from South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay and sometimes Chile, but most supermarket supplies will be sold this or next week."
Lemons were the problem child of the market this summer, explained the expert: "At the beginning of August, there were extreme shortages in the market: Argentina had many problems with the weather, including a lot of rain, which resulted in fewer and delayed deliveries to Europe. The season ended earlier, which has created a big hole in the market, and prices have skyrocketed the last few weeks."
Before the citrus season is completely over for this importer, grapefruit from the USA and small quantities of pomelos from China are still being marketed for a few months. Florida grapefruits are mainly suitable for specialists: "It is a variety of tropical grapefruit, which is not particularly pretty, but it tastes very good and accordingly, it is also very expensive, making it suitable only for wholesale customers like the gastronomers." Supermarkets source grapefruits from South Africa or Spain during the winter months, he explains. In Florida, this year there were problems citrus diseases and a declining production, further complicating the situation on the market.
So far, pomelos from China are only a niche product for the importer. "Meanwhile, pomelos can be found in almost every supermarket, but we have only one customer we supply with the fruit." This is sometimes due to the pricing: "The fruit is bought in China relatively expensively, but as soon as supplies in Germany are slightly larger, the prices quickly drop.The risk of importing this fruit at a loss is very high and so, of course, it's not worth it."
The expert has been seeing a trend in citrus fruits for several years now: "During the overseas summer season, easy-peelers such as tangerines are becoming increasingly popular, and are also on offer in the summer at larger supermarkets, where they are doing very well." This has to do with their great taste. "The varieties are just good and tasty, which is crucial in the summer, especially since there are many other traditional fruits available," he concludes.