At OTC Organics, the organic grape season from South Africa is beginning once again. Purchasing manager Cornelis Ernst recently visited suppliers in South Africa and has positive expectations for the season. "The organic grapes have had a good growing season, and the quality seems good. Currently, logistics is the biggest bottleneck. Partly because of the wind, there are a lot of delays in shipping. Therefore, you cannot immediately trace the week of arrival to the week of harvest, and that makes it difficult to plan for the customer."
© OTC Organics (bj)
"The weather in South Africa has been good so far, so cultivation-wise, there are no problems. The harvest, therefore, seems to be at a good level," Cornelis says. He expects the first arrivals in week 51, with loading continuing until week 15. Based in the Northern Cape, OTC Organics' supplier provides the Dutch importer with a wide range of grape varieties, including Early Sweet, Prime (pictured right), Sugarone, Sweet Globe, Arra14, Autumn Royal, Adora, Sweet Celebration, and Allison.
"The cultivation of organic grapes in South Africa is very stable. There are basically no organic growers entering the sector. In many areas, organic cultivation is not possible either; it is simply too risky in terms of quality. The biggest challenge is in-season rainfall because of disease pressure," Cornelis says. "We do see that the demand for organic grapes is growing. In the last two years, that growth was even quite strong; this year, growth seems to have stabilised somewhat."
Retailers in Germany and Scandinavia have traditionally been the biggest markets for OTC's organic grapes. According to the purchasing manager, organic grapes always carry a premium price compared to the conventional product, but the costs are also higher. "We have the organic grapes come in in Maxtend containers. That is the best way of shipping for organic grapes, but it is also a lot more expensive."
The number of Dutch importers of organic grapes is limited to a handful. Cornelis also does not expect more new players to enter the market any time soon. "We know how difficult it is to keep the organic product retail-quality suitable for daily delivery. Our inspectors are on top of that, and it really requires a close interplay between the retailer and our supplier."
© OTC Organics (bj)
Left Evans Delight, right Early Sweet
OTC Organics offers organic grapes in 10x400g punnets or a 4.5kg paper bag. "The demand for plastic-free packaging is increasing; it's just that the right, affordable solution has still not been figured out. We are still working hard on that," says Cornelis.
The importer is busy preparing to expand its sourcing of organic grapes to Peru and Chile. "We don't have any arrivals from there yet this year, but we are working hard to complete the overseas season with a high-quality and affordable product."
For more information:
Cornelis Ernst
OTC Organics
+31 (0) 885 88 0475
[email protected]
www.otcorganics.com
