With the winter tomato season coming to an end, volumes are dropping and prices are consequently on the rise. Vine tomatoes have reached an average of 1.05 Euro/kilo at origin and Pear tomatoes stand at around 0.80 Euro/kilo. Nevertheless, prices will once again drop as soon as Dutch tomatoes enter the market, "which will happen earlier this year due to this year's warmer winter temperatures," explains Graham Cousins, marketing director of the exporting company Comexa Europa S.L.
"Demand levels this year have been more moderate, with a particular preference for speciality and vine tomatoes over loose ones. We have obtained good prices for Vine, Cherry, Vine Cherry and Cocktail tomatoes," he states."To sell larger volumes of loose tomatoes, we must seek to establish new programs with supermarkets; a task which will prove increasingly more difficult, especially in the United Kingdom, where distributors are more prone to work directly with the suppliers. We are witnessing a change in business strategies."
Graham believes that prices are likely to continue dropping in the UK next campaign. "We foresee a price war between supermarket chains to gain market share. They even conduct promotional campaigns sometimes when supply levels drop, like in March."
Furthermore, Graham thinks that British distributors are still too demanding in terms of quality, with strict colour and size specifications. "They can reject a batch of tomatoes simply for being one millimetre below the pre-established calibre. As a result, those of us working with supermarkets were occasionally forced to carry out the harvest before the tomatoes were fully ripe."
In this sense, "our main competitor during the winter, Morocco, seems to be making progress in both quality and infrastructures, and they have the capacity to offer all sorts of calibres, which is ideal for supermarkets."
Based in Javea, in the Spanish province of Alicante, and with offices also in Valencia, Comexa Europa S.L. is devoted to the export of Spanish tomatoes and peppers to countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, France and Germany.
Later this month, the company's winter programs will end, although they will continue with decent volumes of Cherry tomatoes, which are distributed all year round.
For more information:
Graham Cousins
COMEXA EUROPA S.L.
C/Vicenza 21-14 Jávea, Alicante. Spain
T: +34 966 463 522
M: +34 609 816 422
graham@comexaeuropa.com
www.comexaeuropa.com