The marketing of all fruit and vegetables is proving extremely difficult this year. "There are no easy products: The fruit trade is currently extremely problematic across all product ranges and origins. In the stone fruit sector, for example, not even minimal skin defects or deformations are accepted, both in the French premium goods and in the cheaper alternative products. This has a corresponding impact on sales prices: if the exceptional quality standards are not met, the price does not fall by 10-20 per cent, but sometimes by up to 70-80 per cent. If we assume a normal error rate, a few boxes per pallet occasionally fail quality control, which in turn has a massive impact on the bottom line," explains Ralf Wisser, Managing Director of the company of the same name, based at Frischezentrum Frankfurt.
"In the end, our customers only pass on their customers' quality standards, which is legitimate to a certain extent. However, I wonder where this will lead. Today, producers certainly have to sort out a larger proportion of the total yield than in the past. And the proportion of fruit that is no longer suitable for the fresh market is increasing. This naturally pushes up prices. When will this price spiral break?" says Wisser.
"Additionally, we have noticed that the variety of French apricots in particular has grown considerably over the last 20 years, with the aim of extending the season accordingly. However, there have also been many flops in variety breeding, which is why the business has now developed into a lottery. This risk can no longer be taken. Because the following is non-negotiable: If the consumer accepts the high prices for a premium product and buys it, it must also taste good. They must definitely have the "aha" effect of realising that it was worth buying from a specialist retailer. If we don't achieve this, then the customer is put off and buys elsewhere."
Ralf Wisser has been running the company of the same name since 2007; his customers include weekly market traders.
Exceptional situation for rhubarb
The cold, wet weather this year also had a negative impact on marketing. Wisser: "April and May, with the early strawberries and asparagus, are absolutely key months in the annual yield. This year, however, it was an absolute disaster due to the weather." According to Wisser, however, there were no supply bottlenecks due to the bad weather. "Only rhubarb was a negative outlier this year. Due to the cold and wet conditions in April, there were some unsightly, spaghetti-thin stalks, which were taken anyway due to the already tight supply situation. In normal years, however, such scarce produce would have been absolutely unsaleable."
An equally tight supply situation is now emerging for regional plums, Wisser continues. He is already aware of farms with shortfalls of up to 80 per cent. In the long term, however, he is confident about the future of the regional stone fruit. "The plum is now also attracting increasing attention from younger consumers, but not as a preserving or baking fruit, but rather as a sweet treat. It's not so much the variety, but the flavour that matters."
The Ralf Wisser sales stand in the central market hall of the Frischezentrum Frankfurt.
Regional soft fruit
Founded in the 1990s, the company began by operating weekly markets in Frankfurt am Main and transformed itself into a wholesaler of berries of all kinds and asparagus in 2004 with the opening of the new wholesale market hall in Frankfurt. The depth of the product range was quickly expanded so that customers could be offered a range of fruity premium products all year round. In 2014, another branch was integrated with the acquisition of a wholesale business for potatoes, onions and garlic.
Nevertheless, regional soft fruit is still one of Ralf Wisser GmbH's main product focuses. "When it comes to regional strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, we are almost oversupplied in the Rhine-Main region. Blueberries from regional cultivation, on the other hand, tend to be underrepresented due to the soil. However, we try to offer our customers German blueberries wherever possible, as these are predominantly offered in the right packaging, i.e. loose or in a cardboard tray, in contrast to imported products."
For more information:
Ralf Wisser
Ralf Wisser GmbH
Frischezentrum Frankfurt:
Tel: +49 (0) 69 / 50 00 42 19 - 0
Fax: +49 (0) 69 / 50 00 42 19 - 90
Email: [email protected]
www.ralf-wisser-gmbh.de