Recently, most varieties of French strawberries have become available on the market. Mechinaud has been marketing the Gariguette for a good month. The company also offers Cirafine, Charlotte, Ciflorette and, since the end of last week, the first Mara des Bois in the Nantes region. According to Jean Philippe, the company's sales director, the market is fairly balanced.
"The quantity and quality of the products make it possible to enhance the value of the goods. Prices are stable without being very high. The current prices also make it possible to sell the goods. "At the same time, Jean points out that demand could be better if weather conditions in western France were more favourable.
Mechinaud has specialised in high-end segmentation products. "With our varieties, we are in a specialist market. We do not offer a 'standard' French strawberry, which is very competitive with round strawberries from Spain," says Jean. "Our varieties are exclusively intended for retailers, outdoor markets and catering. We do not sell them in supermarkets."
The different varieties marketed by Mechinaud allow their customers to segment their offer. "As a general rule, they start with the Gariguette and then take one or two other varieties. Others only take Gariguette or Charlotte. It's a question of taste: Some people prefer soft, tangy strawberries with a rather subtle scent like Gariguette, while others will turn more to round strawberries with a more intense red colour, which are a little firmer and have a scent reminiscent of wild strawberries, like Charlotte or Mara des Bois."
For more information:
Mechinaud
Tel: +33 (0)2 40 48 48 26 83
Fax: +33 (0)2 40 48 48 97 13
contact@mechinaud.fr
www.mechinaud-saveurs.com