The new summer season's started in Belgium. The warm, sunny weather means a considerable increase in berry demand. "Fresh coconut is another popular summer product. We've had this in our assortment since last year, " says Special Fruit's Lore Van Aert. "It's a nice product. You can drink the water first and then eat the flesh. You just have to bash it open on a hard surface. The notch in the husk makes it easy to open."
“Fresh coconut comes from Thailand. But we buy it from a supplier in Spain. That company processes the coconut, so it presents well. They put tape around it with a simple explanation and a straw."
"We sell these coconuts in Scandinavia, Germany, the Benelux, and Italy. The Scandinavian countries even buy it all year round. We sell most of these coconuts to retailers. A few go to eateries," says Lore.
She says fresh coconut's prices are quite stable. "They increased a few weeks ago because Asia's still facing container issues. That's the first time in a year that prices have risen slightly. There have been container problems since April when COVID-19 intensified dramatically. These issues mean we didn't receive some products for several months. These products, like kumquat, baby corn, and lemongrass, are available again now."
“There's not much competition on the fresh coconut market. This product isn't very big yet, but its popularity's growing. We, and our Spanish supplier, are busy developing a beautiful pop-up stand. It will showcase the coconut to our customers. We hope to roll this out in July and August," concludes Lore.
For more information:
Lore Van Aert
Special Fruit
36 Europa Street
2321, Meer, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 331 70 660
Email: Lore.VanAert@specialfruit.be
Website: www.specialfruit.be