Befresh Ltd. ships large quantities of Israeli produce to Russia. Their large network of warehouses, trucks and sellers in Russia has given them an edge over other traders in Russia, and they've enjoyed much success there. Leveraging those contacts and logistics expertise, Oron Ziv and a few partners founded Befresh Europe, focuses mainly on the European market.
“We've shipped some pomegranates, and we'll have Galia melons around the middle of September,” said Ziv. “It's a traditional Israeli product, and we're working with the largest grower of Galia melons in Israel.” Since there are few growers in Israel who have the right climate and experience to grow the melons, a partnership with the largest grower in the country is a nice coup for Befresh Europe. Ziv said they're also on the verge of starting shipments of red pomelo, the first citrus fruit of the export season.
“Red pomelo is ready to be picked and shipped, and it will be available at the start of September,” said Ziv. “It will be available in sizes eight, nine, 10 and 12, and we'll pack it in open, seven kilogram trays.” Though the market for Israeli red pomelo has been shrinking due to supplies from China, Ziv noted that it's always nice to have the first citrus fruit of the season on the market. Red grapefruit will follow soon after, around the second week of September, but Ziv is less optimistic about the season for that commodity.
“There's too much red grapefruit,” said Ziv. “We had a lot of good years for a while, so there were many new plantings, but over the last few years, the market for red grapefruit has gone down.” Overproduction has made for lower prices, so growers are struggling to make money off the fruit. Looking ahead, Ziv thinks more growers will switch from red grapefruit to other citrus varieties.
With an export season that stretches into January of next year, Ziv said they still have a lot of produce to get through this year. They'll start shipments of Sweeties at the end of next month, and Minneolas and other easy peeling varieties will follow soon after.
For more information:
Oron Ziv
BeFresh Europe
Mobile +972 52 3252464
Mobile +31 6 22514987
Office +972 72 2555135
Fax +972 153 547625599
Email: oron@befreshcorp.com
Web www.BeFreshcorp.com