The Greek watermelon season began early at the Dutch company GrecFresh. "We're satisfied with the harvest, but the volumes are lower than expected. That's because the weather in Greece, like many other places in Europe, is still a bit disappointing," says Thanos Motsiopoulos.
"We started with the early, round Bostana variety two weeks ago and expect the first supply of the typically Greek oblong varieties within a week. The Bostana we've received are nice and ripe and sweet. Price-wise, we can compete well with Spanish and Italian melons. We export most of the melons directly to Eastern Europe but do get Greek melons in the Netherlands every week."
Supplementary to the Greek watermelon season, GrecFresh gets Greek Greengage green plums. "We also expect the first apricots and nectarines soon. These now come from the south of Greece, but soon also from the north, from the region of Veria, where I'm from," explains Thanos.
This year's entire early Greek cherry crop flooded. "The heavy rain caused many cherries to burst on the tree. The main season starts in about ten days, depending on the weather. It's generally been one of the most bizarre springs that Greek growers have faced recently."
"I have the distinct advantage of coming from Greece, so I have good relationships with local growers. I can, thus, get trade fairly easily despite the troubles. For example, I was first on the market with Greek asparagus and strawberries. Only those are priced slightly higher due to the lower supply," Thanos concludes.
For more information:
Thanos Motsiopoulos
GrecFresh
Mob: +31 (0) 653 821 842
Email: thanos@grecfresh.com