The Spanish citrus season is slowly but surely starting: The first clementines are already available in the German trade - but the d
emand is still sluggish due to the good weather. Nevertheless, the people at Köster Fruchtgroßhandel in Lilienthal (near Bremen) are pleased with the arrival of the first shipments of the Tobsine premium brand.
"We've been working with Tobsine for a long time and they are always good experiences. This year we're excited about the course of the season. According to our suppliers, the volume will drop by 30-50% due to the thunderstorms," says CEO Detlev Koster. The more robust oranges have not suffered, but the delicate clementines did. "However, since we are just at the beginning of the season, we still have to wait for the exact magnitude of the impact."
Shipments of the Tobsine brand only launched this week: "Since this is a premium brand, we waited a little longer before harvesting these fruits, to ensure the best quality.This means the Tobsine is temporally a little behind other players on the market." The first Satsumas were already available for a few weeks: "But their taste is not for everyone."
In terms of price, the goods rose at the same level this year as in the previous year, and there is still no sign of a shortage. "We have bright sunshine right now, so nobody wants to eat citrus fruits. The business really does not really start until it gets colder, but there have been some inquiries and we've had deliveries today (Oct 23)."
The most popular forms of packaging for clementines continue to be 1 kg nets and miniature wooden crates in the food retail trade with capacities between 2 and 2.5 kg, Köster knows. "The wooden boxes are also very well suited to the discussions about packaging and can -when it gets colder- also be used well for firing the fireplace at the consumer." For the first time this year, the product is also on the program: "There have already been inquiries about this intermediate size, but we are only just at the beginning of the season and so we will have to see how it works."
For more information:
Detlev Köster
Johann Köster GmbH & Co. KG
Querreihe 1
28865 Lilienthal
Tel: 04792 93400
order@johann-koester.de
www.johann-koester.de