"Balle Bros Group is a family farming business with a long history as a supplier of fresh New Zealand onions. The Group is vertically integrated with its own farms, packhouse, logistics, export and sales operations.
The dry summer in New Zealand has resulted in less large size onions but good quality & skins. The harvest ran until March; with packing and shipping continuing until August according to Paul Warren of Balle Bros.
The company has many longstanding partnerships in Europe and Asia. The main markets in Europe are Germany, France, Belgium, UK, Spain and The Netherlands. In Asia, Indonesia is a big destination, also Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
“New Zealand onions have the advantage of having excellent quality, a long shelf life, and very good appearance which is of growing importance for retail consumers. Being counter-seasonal to the Northern Hemisphere also provides a window for our customers to import. Food safety and traceability are central for us; our customers need to be assured that what they are buying is healthy, tasty and safe to eat. Being the grower helps us provide transparency to our strategic partners in this area,” said Dacey Balle Group CEO
“We are conscious of the potential issues for shipping and container shortages due to coronavirus but we are still exporting as normal. To maintain consistent supply its more important than ever that we plan with our customers in advance.”
“Generally markets in Asia and Europe are positive, there are political issues and the impact of the coronavirus to take into consideration, but we are working closely with our customers to ensure consistent supply of onions which are considered a staple commodity.”
“In the future the business is also following new trends towards hypermarket and e-commerce platforms; it is our ambition to use technology to create a more efficient sales process and better serve our customers.”
For more information:
Paul Warren
Balle Bros Group
Tel: +64 275 553 285
Email: paul.warren@ballebros.co.nz
www.ballebros.co.nz