The Chinese New Year took place on January 25th. According to David Dohin, fruit and vegetable manager at Métro cash&carry, this will inevitably have consequences for the sale of fruits and vegetables in France. “The Chinese cuisine revolves around fresh fruits and vegetables. The Chinese New Year is a time for celebration, joy, opulence, pleasure and for gathering to share nice moments. This is reflected in our sales.”
According to David, the Chinese community consumes a lot of white cabbage in salads, flat Choudou cabbage or pointed cabbage, raw or cooked. “These salad varieties are much less bitter than other salads, and sweeter.” The entire range of cabbage is produced locally in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. “Besides the Choudou, pointed or white cabbage, we also offer red cabbage.”
Moreover, David sells a lot of young onion sprouts to the Chinese community, as well as aromatic herbs such as chives, basil and cilantro, to add flavor to the dishes. The clients are Asian restaurants and semi-wholesalers for the most part. “As for the fruits, lychees, papayas, and green or ready-to-eat mangos are very popular products. Our Chinese clients are also very fond of pineapples, green and yellow melons, watermelons and grapes.”
David adds that there is enough supply to meet the demand. “For example, we offer a range of cultivated mushrooms, like the oyster mushroom, shiitake, enokitake and shimeji, or even the Jew’s ear, which is used a lot for soups.”
For more information:
Metro Cash & Carry
David Dohin
dohin.david@orange.fr
www.metro.fr