At the moment, citrus fruits, such as those from Turkey and Israel, dominate the product range of the Berlin-based wholesale company Gemüse-Express. "Israeli Orri clementines are clearly the focus, but Turkish W.Murcott are an interesting and inexpensive alternative. One notices even that Turkish citrus fruits have enjoyed rising relevance in the past few years," says managing director Hüseyin Türkarslan on inquiry.
Furthermore, overseas grapes are an integral part of the seasonal product selection, he said. "As with most other items, prices have been relatively high so far with very good qualities. What we are observing is that a lot of new varieties are hitting the market every year, while the light table grape is the most traded these days," Türkarslan said, pointing to the excesses in the grape market. "There is still product from Chile and Peru, but Namibia is now coming into the trade more."
Together with his brother Mustafa, Hüseyin Türkarslan is now the second generation to run the company, which was founded in 1997. "We originally come from the catering industry and have developed from that base to become a growing group of companies with several divisions. Nowadays, we act as a catering supplier, wholesaler, retailer as well as import agency. The latter line of business is dedicated to direct imports from all major Mediterranean growing countries."
The Berlin-based trading company also faces some longer-term challenges. "The wholesale market is in direct competition with the food retail sector, which is definitely causing us problems. Although we are constantly looking for new staff, we now have this under control and we are extremely satisfied with the current workforce of around 60 to 65 employees," Türkarslan concludes.
Further information:
Hüseyin Türkarslan
Gemüse-Express Fruchthandel
Großmarkt Berlin
T: +49 178 / 183 63 56
F: +49 30 / 398 89 498
[email protected]
www.gemuese-express.de