Demand for grapes is high this year. "In fact, all year long. There was tremendous demand for Indian grapes, though those prices could've been a bit higher. The Egyptian season is also going unprecedentedly well. All the containers coming in are often already divided up," says Luciën de Wit of LuBa Fresh in the Netherlands.
The importer began loading the first Sicilian grapes in mid-May, slightly earlier than in other years. "We have good weather in this part of Europe, but bad weather caused damage in many of the Italian production areas. Regardless, enough grapes are arriving on the market."
"Italian Black Magic and Victoria grapes are selling for a good €2.50 to €3. The first white and red seedless grapes are arriving from Sicily next week, with the first Puglian grapes getting here within two weeks. Then, supplies will increase somewhat, and prices might begin dropping," Luciën explains.
"We'll receive the last Egyptian grapes in the first week of July. Once Italy is on the market in greater numbers, the enthusiasm for Egyptian grapes usually wanes. I hear the bad weather significantly affected Spanish grape production too. Expectations for the Italian season are generally good, but the season's still long; we feed Italian grapes into December."
In Italy, seedless grape planting is increasing substantially "Our supplier responded to this with a large Autumn Crisp variety production area. But these won't arrive on the Dutch market until September. Seedless grapes clearly meet consumers' needs. Yet, ethnic traders in Germany and the Netherlands, in particular, still sell Italias and Victorias. Those grapes will always be around, and I still think they're the tastiest," Luciën concludes.
For more information:
Luciën de Wit
LuBa Fresh
Tel: +31 0) 777 777 715
Mob: +31 (0) 641 273 443
Email: L.deWit@LuBaFresh.com
Website: www.LuBaFresh.com