The presence of German soft fruits gradually expanded in recent weeks. "At the beginning of June, there were already the first blueberries from regional greenhouses, these are now being replaced by outdoor produce. In the case of raspberries, we have been able to fall back on regional outdoor products for about two weeks; before that, there were already tunnel as well as greenhouse raspberries," describes Christian Fischermann, specialized berry trader at the Cologne wholesale market and owner of Wolf GmbH, which is based there.
"At the moment, sales seem to be stalling somewhat, which is precisely due to the fact that the vacation season in NRW has already begun. However, prices are still mostly firm and stable with average to good demand," Fischermann continues.
Christian Fischermann at FreshPlaza's 2019 wholesale market visit. The seasonal berry assortment is rounded out by Dutch greenhouse blackberries, which are excellent in taste, he says.
Domestic soft fruit would be in direct competition with imported goods from numerous countries. "Not only are growing countries such as Portugal and Morocco still represented on the market, but also overseas countries such as South Africa and Mexico. This is definitely noticeable in marketing. Soon, the first goods from Poland and Serbia will also hit the market," says the berry merchant, who exclusively offers regional soft fruit during the season.
Complicating the situation are the exponentially increased production costs that domestic growers are facing this year. "The general conditions for regional berry production have, of course, become very difficult. What that means for price trends remains to be seen. We're still at the beginning of this year's campaign: the key question this year will be whether we can maintain the prices needed to cover the extra costs."
Further information:
Christian Fischermann
Wolf Obst & Gemüse GmbH
Köln Großmarkt
Tel.: 0221 34020 08 + 09
Mobil: 0170 2302436
Fax: 0221 378434
info@gemuese-wolf.de
www.gemuese-wolf.de