The arrival of the first South African pears of the Rosemarie and Williams Bon Chrétien varieties in calendar weeks 8 to 9 officially marked the start of the overseas top fruit season. "The last German pears will be available until well into April, but in terms of volume, they have less influence on market developments. The situation is different for the Conference variety from Belgium and the Netherlands. Due to rising costs and lower stocks (down 16 percent year-on-year as of February 1), prices are spiraling, which will also affect the marketing of overseas produce. However, at the current start to the season, we are almost at the same level as last year," summarizes Malte Wegener from the fruit wholesaler of the same name based in the German region of Altes Land.
Red pears of the new variety Cape Blush. Also new from South Africa is the Rosemarie Select, a mutant of the conventional Rosemarie with a stronger coloration.
From March until the beginning of the local top fruit harvest in the fall, the family business offers its customers, mainly food retailers, apples, and pears from South Africa, South America, and New Zealand. Wegener: "Rosemarie and Williams Bon Chrétien from South Africa traditionally mark the beginning of the season, followed by Cheeky and Celina in calendar week 10 and Abate Fetel, also from South Africa, from calendar week 12-13. Thanks to state-of-the-art CA storage technology, certain varieties such as Forelle and similar varieties can be offered until the end of August so that we can seamlessly connect to the new German harvest." Wegener sources around 80 percent of its overseas pears from South Africa, supplemented by Chilean produce and organic pears from Argentina.
Abate Fetel of South African origin.
According to consumer studies, inflation has led to increased price sensitivity, which will also have an impact on the marketing of overseas top fruits. "After all, we are in a premium segment where additional customs surcharges have to be considered during the second half of the season," emphasizes Wegener. Meanwhile, the freight situation has largely calmed down. "In contrast to last year, the goods can be loaded in the port of Cape Town as planned, without having to switch to other ports."
Tree-ripened orchard-picked Abate Fetel from South Africa. The qualities and fruit sizes of this variety are decisive for the rest of the season.
Overseas apples: New Zealand favors the Asian market
Wegener continues, saying that the first overseas apples will soon be loaded and available in food retail stores from calendar weeks 14-15. "Chilean Gala apples will probably be available from mid-to-late April. The big unknown, however, is New Zealand: transit times are currently 12 to 13 weeks, compared to eight weeks a few years ago. However, an important structural change is taking place as demand in the Asian market is steadily increasing. Markets such as Japan, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam are paying very good prices compared to Europe, which means that less is being exported to Europe."
Organic Gala of New Zealand origin.
Chilean Gala apples are expected to hit the market at the end of April.
This is already noticeable in some varieties. "New Zealand's Braeburn export volumes have been massively reduced in recent years. Five years ago, almost every Braeburn apple came from New Zealand, whereas today, every second Braeburn apple comes from South Africa. I am convinced that South Africa will capture further market shares in the coming years, even though we will be offering Chilean Braeburn apples for the first time this year," says the fruit importer. He points to the continued high demand in Germany and Great Britain. South African Braeburn apples will be available from calendar weeks 19-20, while the New Zealand loads will arrive successively from calendar weeks 24-25.
Cape Blush (l) and Williams Bon Chrétien from South Africa.
Malte Wegener (r) was also present at this year's Fruit Logistica in Berlin, at the MAL stand. There, he met with the New Zealand partners of The Fresh Fruit Company of New Zealand (Freshco), among others.
Photo credit: Gustav Wegener u. Sohn GmbH u. Co. KG
For more information:
Malte Wegener
Gustav Wegener u. Sohn GmbH u. Co. KG
Buxtehuder Street 50 - 52
21635 Jork
Tel: +49 4162 9145-0
Fax: +49 4162 9145-45
[email protected]
www.wegener-frucht.de
