During the Advent season, fruit and vegetable specialties are a real feature within the specialized trade. One product that will always show up at this time is the red-skinned St. Nicholas apple. The small pome fruit is mainly imported from overseas. Specialized dealers are currently preparing for its peak season, as is Berkay Savran, owner of KM Frischedienst, based in Bad Kreuznach.
Wholesaler Berkay Savran showing the last St. Nicholas apples of the day. Although its peak season is not there yet, wholesalers say they are already booming.
A few weeks ago, the first St. Nicholas apples of this season already arrived in the warehouse of the wholesaler. Currently, the seasonal specialty is already being marketed in large quantities, says Savran. "Sales will really get going in about 10 days. But until then we already sell a lot of them, primarily to restaurateurs, from simple restaurants to fine kitchens."
Pricing
Although some other apples are struggling with quality problems, the St. Nicholas apples are of good quality, says Savran. Therefore, their pricing is relatively low. "The price currently stands at around €1.30 per kg, which is actually very cheap for this quality."
According to Savran, a St. Nicholas should be crisp, red, juicy and relatively small.
The wholesaler purchases his goods mainly from partners in the Dutch Freshness Center Venlo. However, the goods themselves mainly come from overseas. The origin is of course a particularly important factor in the pricing of St. Nicholas apples. "New Zealand is the most expensive, because of the long transport routes. That means you will pay some €2.40-2.50 per kg for standard goods."
For more information:
KM Frischdienst
Inh. Berkay Savran
Bosenheimer Str. 127a
55543 Bad Kreuznach
Telefon: 0671 / 2984959
E-Mail: info@km-frischdienst.de
www.km-frischdienst.de