The kiwi season in Greece is in full swing, and according to one exporter it has been a steady season so far. Despite a shortage in smaller sizes, there is enough volume available overall. Entering the Argentinian market however, came with some challenges for them.
The year 2020 is shaping up to be an important one for Greek kiwi exporter Zeus. According to Christina Manossis, sales manager for the exporter, the season is looking to be a good one. “We’re really in the flow of the season right now, which has been much better than last year. Volumes are plentiful and prices are significantly better this season. There are some challenges we have to deal with though, as smaller sizes are much harder to find. Normally a medium to medium/large sized kiwi is most in demand, but we’re seeing mostly very large sizes this season.”
Due to there being less fruits on the trees, the kiwis got the opportunity to grow much larger in average. It means Zeus will have to take a different approach to market these kiwis. “We need to find alternative markets to supply various fruit sizes” Manosis explains.
“We’ve been trying to enter Argentina as a new market this season, but it has proven quite challenging. It’s not that easy to send shipments to Argentina, as you need to send samples every time you try to export some produce. This process can take very long, so long that you might lose the sale in the end. We still believe Argentina has great potential, but there is quite a lot of competition and it appears to be a price sensitive market.”
With the new year coming up, Zeus has set some clear goals for improvement. “In 2020 we’d like to minimize the labor cost. This has already been set into motion, as we’ve been investing in high-tech machinery to reduce the operation costs overall. We’d also like to set parameters to minimize our water footprint. It’s similar to reducing your carbon footprint, but water is a valuable resource and we have to control the impact we have on this resource.” Manosis stated.
For Christmas, Zeus has decided not to send out any gifts for their clients or partners, instead they want to use that money for charity. “For a while we’ve been trying to support our local community in Greece. During the holidays, we feel that spending money that would be spent on promotional gifts could be used better to help poor families in these times. Employees and even shareholders will also collect fruit for these families. Zeus will also make a donation to help children with terrible diseases, in the hopes we can make the holiday a bit more joyful for people who might have it more rough this season. We trust everyone will understand, naturally we do wish everyone happy holidays and a terrific 2020!” Manosis concludes.
For more information:
Christina Manosis
Zeus Kiwi SA
Tel: +30 2351 053559
Email: Christinam@zeuskiwi.gr
www.zeuskiwi.gr