The first Spanish strawberries arrived at German traders about a fortnight ago. But due to the cold snap and the rainfall, there have been fewer quantities than usual so far, says Carlo Wex, managing director of the company of the same name based at the Cologne wholesale market and a specialist in Spanish produce.
There has been an extreme amount of rain in Huelva, Spain, the main strawberry growing area, in recent weeks. "Similar to last year, the first batches arrived in mid-January. However, due to the moisture and corresponding quality losses, a substantial part of the early yields could not be exported. This relatively high spoilage had a noticeable effect on the supply situation on the German market," says Wex, who supplies both wholesale and retail customers.
Due to the gastronomy closures, Spanish strawberries are now mainly supplied to food retailers. The product is in direct competition with Greek and Moroccan batches.
Easing of the market situation
The cold spell in Spain has led to a shortage of goods and price increases for many Spanish products, whether strawberries, iceberg lettuce or aubergines. "In the meantime, the situation has eased to some extent and I expect the supply of Spanish strawberries to expand rapidly in the coming weeks. Demand is still somewhat restrained due to the rainy weather in Germany. In this respect, too, I see a slight upturn in the next few weeks, especially as the competing produce from Morocco is not exhilarating," Wex continues.
Left: Fruit vegetables from Spanish cultivation are now also traded in large quantities. Right: Packed strawberries for the food retail trade.
Increased rejections of goods because of Corona
Wex LLC was founded in the mid-90s by Carlo Wex; it has been based at the Cologne wholesale market ever since. In addition to importing fruit, the company offers comprehensive services for rejected goods. "We give suppliers a helping hand when their goods are refused. That means we organise the collection of the goods, sorting and repackaging before they are marketed at a fair market price," André Wex, the son of the managing director, explains.
Depending on demand, the goods are placed throughout Europe, whether in Scandinavia, the Netherlands or towards Eastern Europe. "The bulk of these remaining stocks usually end up with vegetable processors or at weekly markets," they confirm. Even after more than two decades, the service continues to gain in importance. "Especially in the last few years full of weather capers, our services are in great demand. The same applies to today's Corona crisis, because programmes are difficult to schedule at pandemic times, which is why more goods are rejected on a percentage basis."
© Wex GmbH
André Wex shows off some early Spanish strawberries.
Planned move
The company wants to remain competitive in the near future and gradually expand its business activities. Due to this, they will move to a new location with a total capacity of around 8,000m² - of which about 4,000m² is hall space and office space - in the course of next year. "On the one hand, we wanted to prevent the slow relocation of the Cologne wholesale market. On the other hand, we are striving to set up our own packing operation as well as a cash & carry market in the near future."
For more information:
Wex GmbH
Carlo & André Wex
Marktstr. 10
50968 Köln (Großmarkt)
Tel: 0221/ 38 80 63
Fax: 0221/ 38 80 62/ 64
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.wexgmbh.de
