Stone fruits currently dominate the scene in Munich's Grossmarkthalle, certainly at the stand of Matthäus Schenk OHG. "Up to now we only offered Spanish stone fruits at our stand. We will probably be able to offer French batches from next week onwards," owner Peter Schenk explains.
In general,
the flow of stone fruit is being 'slowed down' somewhat, the fruit trader observes. "We are seeing a slight decline in demand, especially in the last two weeks. Meanwhile, the availability of apricots, peaches and nectarines from all growing countries gradually increased. As a result, a slight oversupply characterises the current market situation", says Schenk.
Right: The market stand of Matthäus Schenk OHG at the Munich wholesale market. The company exclusively represents the Spanish BRIO brand in Munich.
Big sizes in demand
Even within this good supply situation, smaller fruits in particular are abundantly available. Larger calibres (22-gauge), however, are only available in smaller quantities. However, the price per kilo of the larger calibres seems to be within the usual range at 1.80-2.00 Euros.
In the meantime, the company has switched from strawberries to cherries and summer fruit and, according to the owner, the weather is great for the marketing of stone fruits. "Two weeks ago it rained almost the whole week in this country. We immediately felt that in terms of sales. When it's warm and sunny outside, stone fruit sells more quickly."
'Oktoberfest is next big loss'
Looking at the long term, Mr Schenk sees some trends in the stone fruit sector. "Platterinas and Paraguayos have steadily gained in importance over the last five years, due to their taste. Although there are seasonal offers from other growing countries, Spain is still the leader in this segment."
"In terms of marketing, the corona crisis is still affecting the fruit trade," says the supplier of regional weekly market traders and restaurateurs. "Masks are still compulsory in Bavaria and all the big events have been cancelled. For us traders, the Oktoberfest in particular will probably be the next big loss."
For more information:
Matthäus Schenk OHG
Peter Schenk
Thalkirchner Straße 81
81371 München (Großmarkt)
Tel.: +49 (0)89 765298
matthaeus-schenk@t-online.de