The trade in citrus fruit is slowly starting to dominate the trade in the Düsseldorf wholesale market. The juicy fruits are especially popular during the Christmas period. At the moment, there is a slight lull in the trade; however, the sales will pick up again in a week or two, states Christian Hoffmann, seller of the wholesales company Becker & Wermelskirchen. “We have had three brands of clementines in our range since this year and the tasty Blue Orange is one of them.”
“The Blue Orange is slightly sweeter than the other brands in our product range, the Tobsine and the Malin clementines. The Tobsine is our top seller, about 1000 crates per week. It's been on the market for such a long time that customers know what they are getting.” The price difference between the brands is small: Blue Orange sells for 14 Euros per crate (about 7.5 kg) and Tobsine 18 Euros (about 10 kg). All brands originate from Spain.
The Becker & Wermelskirchen warehouse: Hoffmann shows the Blue Orange (left) and the Malin clementines (top right). And a pallet with Blue Orange (bottom right).
Expansion of the range
This is the first year, the wholesales company, based in Düsseldorf, has included Blue Orange and Malin in their range. It used to sell only Tobsine clementines. Hoffmann continues: “We already sold the oranges of Blue Orange and noticed their popularity among our customers. That is why we decided to expand our range and included the clementines. That went down very well with our customers.” And according to Hoffmann the interest in oranges and clementines also influences sales of the other brands. “Since we offer clementines, one customer buys 20 to 30 crates of Malin every week. There was no demand for them before.”
The facade of the Becker & Wermelskirchen building
In addition to the citrus fruit, Becker & Wermelskirchen have also been selling airfreight mangoes for about a year now. Mangoes from Peru, instead of Brazil, dominate the trade. However, the quality still leaves something to be desired, states Hoffmann. “The ripeness and color of the first shipment was insufficient. The second shipment is of higher quality. Mangoes from Peru have the best reputation and if they are available the demand for Brazilian mangoes is very low.” Here the price difference is clearer, a crate of Peruvian mangoes (6 kg) currently costs something between 38 to 42 Euros. A crate of Brazilian mangoes, on the other hand, costs about 32 Euro per 6 kg.
Better color and ripeness on the second shipment of Peruvian airfreight mangoes
Wide range of products
Becker & Wermelskirchen has been trading on the Düsseldorf wholesale market since 1982. The company is the result of a merger between Wilhelm Wermelskirchen and Hans Becker fruit and vegetables. The customers include catering companies, small supermarkets and street market traders. In the last few years the company gradually specialized in tropical fruit and exotic produce, such as sweet potatoes, papayas and nuts. However, diversity is still important for the company. Their wide range of products also consists of tomatoes, strawberries and all kinds of lettuce varieties. Mangoes from Peru, currently available on the Düsseldorf wholesale market
For more information:
Firma Becker & Wermelskirchen GmbH
Düsseldorf wholesale market, Großmarkt Düsseldorf Hall 9
Phone: +49 (0) 211 4220163
Phone: +49 (0) 211 4220163