On the citrus market, traders are in the final stages of the Spanish season at the moment. Many wholesalers and direct importers are now gradually switching to goods from other sources, but some still prefer the last lots, coming in from Spain. For the time being, shipments from the Iberian peninsula are arriving at the Dusseldorf wholesale market, says Hans Peter Deutschmann of the Karl Klees company, that is based on that same market.
Hans Peter Deutschmann at the Karl Klees GmbH wholesale booth
Israeli Orri clementines have a strong presence
A seasonal trend, that can be observed at this very moment, is the decreasing demand for citrus fruits. This is clearly related to the early start of the season with local fruits, such as strawberries. "With regard to oranges, we are still trading the late varieties from Spain, which have a fairly high sugar content. We do not expect any South African oranges until the beginning of June. For the Clementines we are currently mainly sourcing Israeli Orris with which we started in mid-December. Last year, we were able to carry them through to the beginning of May. In terms of price, so far we have not noticed any major fluctuations," was Deutschmann's comment on this year's citrus campaign.
Two proven label in the Karl Klees range. On the left French kiwi brand La Pinède, on the right Orri clementines from Israel
Avocado consumption continues to rise
As a full-range supplier, Karl Klees GmbH always offers its customers a wide selection of exotics through its weekly market trade. Products like limes, kumquats and papaya will be offered in market-relevant quantities, depending on availability. Despite the constant expansion of the exotic product range, avocados are still a bestseller. Deutschmann: "The sales of avocados have noticeably increased over the last few years. We are mainly dealing with the Hass variety, which is currently coming in from Peru, but occasionally they are sourced from Brazil and Chile."
Fairly balanced kiwi market
The Düsseldorf fruit wholesaler has been relying on the trade in established fruit brands for many years. With regard to kiwis, Deutschmann concedes that Zespri certainly has a very unique selling point on the market: "As long as there are Zespri kiwis on the market, marketers really have no need to start selling the French goods, although France usually offers kiwis of a a good, consistent quality throughout the season."
"On 10 December 2018, the first shipments of the La Pinède brand from France came in. So far, the market situation has remained relatively constant: We are selling three different sizes -20, 25 and 27- all of which are taken away in roughly similar quantities. The larger calibers are traded at a slightly higher price. This difference is a bit more pronounced in the case of French goods. For us, the kiwis are primarily a kind of a supplementary article."
For more information:
Karl Klees GmbH
GF: Hans Peter Deutschmann
Ulmenstraße 275
40468 Düsseldorf
Telephone: +49 (0211) 4220185
Fax: +49 (0211) 4180269
info@klees-fruit.de
www.klees-fruit.de