December had been dismal, so far, on the pineapple market. But it's slowly picking up again. "It isn't really different from other years. November is always a bit slower. But, this year's dips were very low. There were even Black Friday offers where pineapples were going for €4,50," says Mario de Goede of Dutoit Europe in the Netherlands.
"Black Friday pineapples were a new occurrence, but were, fortunately, the exception. In November, the average price was between €5 and €6. We're now back to the €8 level for small pineapples and €9 for the larger ones. So we're at healthy Christmas values again. Supply is quite normal. There aren't very large volumes on the market either."
"But there's little demand from vendors and the hospitality sector. These new anti-corona measures don't help. This demand will fall even further," expects the importer. "It, however, remains tough to predict what will happen. Clients don't want to make too many permanent plans. But I'm still optimistic. Usually, the first months of the new year are solid pineapple months. Promotions have already been planned for January."
"Several fruit varieties' sales were hard hit this year. Pineapples, limes, and melons are certainly among them. But citrus, apples, and pears, on the other hand, have sold well. Sales were either great or terrible. There was no real middle ground. If people knew how much Vitamin C a pineapple contains, they'd buy far more of them," concludes Mario.
For more information:
Mario de Goede
Dutoit Europe
Tel: +31 (0) 102 211 226
Email: m.degoede@dutoiteu.com
Website: www.dutoiteu.com