King winter has returned, and for wholesalers, that means a shift to traditional winter products. This is also the case at Sebrechts Groenten en Fruit. "It's nice and hectic at the moment. There are also some colleagues on leave, so then you realise how hard everyone is working. Especially now: it's getting colder, and our customers want something new for the shop, so we are happy to provide that," says Ellen Sebrechts of the Antwerp-based family wholesaler.
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"Whereas three to four weeks ago it was still relatively warm and customers were asking for berries and stone fruit, now we mainly get requests for forgotten vegetables, such as parsnips, chard, and parsley root," she explains. "Moreover, products like Jerusalem artichokes, or special French vegetables like zebra beet and coloured radishes, are resurfacing. As soon as it gets colder, the range turns completely around. Now we can offer those typical winter products again, which just weren't there a month ago either. People want to play with colour more on the stall again."
Colourful
And customers are happy to take that advice, she says. "In winter, the range often becomes a bit more special. Coloured cauliflowers, purple or orange varieties, but also purple pointed cabbages: everyone takes that with them, purely for that aesthetic effect. The taste is hardly different, but people like colours. Some customers build their stall so nicely that it really becomes a colour palette. If you put that right, the products come out beautifully. Towards the holidays, you see this even more strongly. New or special products energise both us, the customers, and. Swiss chard, for instance, is a very nice bright colour, but it remains a niche product, not a pallet seller. Still, people like to try something new."
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Prices are also fine to work with at the moment, Ellen points out. "Product prices are not too bad at the moment. For example, the cauliflowers from the greenhouse are very nice, bright white, and yet not expensive. It applies to a multitude of winter vegetables at the moment. Then it is also important for us to keep offering the best products. When products become affordable, we have to offer the best specimens and not necessarily look for the cheapest alternatives. That is what our customers have come to expect from us."
Going long with South African citrus
Besides vegetables, the Spanish citrus season is also now in full swing. "There is now also plenty of availability, nice sizes and reasonable prices, but we have gone long with South African Tango, Nadorcott and Orri. These were very good this year, nice orange and nice and sweet. We deliberately don't switch to Spanish varieties too quickly, because the first Spanish clementines are often not at their peak yet. We did notice a lot of taste differences in leaf clementines compared to last year. Weather conditions play a big role in this. That's why we sometimes work with lesser-known brands if they taste better. We really buy by taste."
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"So if customers taste inferior quality at the beginning of the season, it hurts repeat purchases. That's why we do offer them, but put quality South African varieties next to them for a long time, but by now, Spain is fully up and running. The first variety this season was Early Pride, which was a bit fresher this year than last year, when they were very sweet. Meanwhile, we also have SanLucar, which is now excellent. We switch quickly between varieties so that customers always get the best taste. We also have Italian Navels from a special brand, which look very nice and natural."
Own brand
At this, the wholesaler also offers its own brand, Picnic. "We have been working with that for many years. The brand was once started by my father and my uncle. We have our own buyer in Spain and even a grower who works specifically for us. When the quality control is excellent, the fruits are allowed to be packaged under our own brand. That creates trust with our customers, and some have been selling Picnic exclusively for years."
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"Eating oranges from this has also just started now. These are large sizes, very tasty, and the juicing oranges and tangerines will soon follow. We try to highlight our own brand well, although we always offer alternatives. Customers have to taste and choose for themselves." The brand covers only oranges, clementines, and mandarins. "We did have requests to extend the brand to other products, such as melons, but we won't do that. Picnic stands for high-quality citrus, and we want to keep that clear."
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For more information:
Ellen Sebrechts
Sebrechts Groenten & Fruit 
Kielsbroek 4
2020 Antwerp, Belgium
+32 32374192
[email protected]
www.sebrechtsfruit.be
