Albafruit has just received the first Early Sweet (Grapaes) white seedless grapes freshly harvested from Morocco. For the past 15 years, Christophe Ochs, manager of Albafruit, has specialized in grape imports from Morocco. “We especially like working with this origin because it is a guarantee of freshness. The grapes were harvested on Monday, and three days later, they are available on the French and European markets. Besides, the Moroccan origin is very interesting because it does not create any competition for the French origin.”
The Moroccan grapes sold by Albafruit
“With the lockdown this year, the first white seedless grapes are highly anticipated”
Consumers always wait impatiently for the first harvest from the northern hemisphere, but the health crisis this year further intensified this anticipation. “We are lucky to be the first on the market to offer this variety. Last year already, the demand was very good. But this year, with the lockdown in India, imported volumes in Europe have been lower, and now, the market is relatively empty,” explains Christophe. “Additionally, we expect some very good quality merchandise this year, very sweet, thanks to the favorable weather conditions in Morocco, with a mild winter and a hot spring. And with the current enthusiasm for fresh and healthy products, the season is looking very promising.”
“Despite the crisis, we assure a regular daily supply to our clients”
During this peculiar period, the logistics were sometimes complicated between Morocco and France in the previous weeks. However, Christophe assures that the merchandise now circulates well. “We are entirely capable of assuring a regular daily supply to our clients.” On the other hand, the sanitary situation pushed consumers to favor packaged products. Christophe therefore expects the demand for 500g trays to be higher than in previous years and he took the necessary steps to answer this demand.
Moroccan grape production calendar
The grape season in the northern hemisphere starts with the Early Sweet, but other very tasty varieties will also soon follow, such as the new red seedless Passion Fire (Arra 29) variety and the Prima black variety with seeds. “The Prima is a very beautiful variety of black grapes, especially popular among experts. This year, it will be available in the first week of June, followed by the first Sugar Drop (ARA30) white seedless grapes of exceptional taste quality. As for the Midnight Beauty, it will be harvested for the second year in Morocco. It is a late variety for the country, arriving at the end of June/early July. These black seedless grapes are visually attractive and were very popular last year,” according to Christophe.
Laurent Martinet, Olivier Dutertre and Christophe Ochs
For more information:
Christophe Ochs
Albafruit
Phone: +33 5 63 04 60 04
contact@albafruit.fr
www.albafruit.fr