After social media sparked a massive craze last year, the overwhelming demand for Lemon Snacks was almost impossible to meet for months. "We continuously reordered goods from all our partners—whether in Italy, Spain, or the Netherlands—until we eventually could barely keep up with the exponentially increased demand," recalls Abdessalam Najar, exotic fruit specialist and managing director of Zündorf & Zerres GmbH, based at the Frischezentrum Köln-Gremberghoven.
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Abdessalam Najar believes in the continued marketing potential of exotic fruits.
According to Najar, he was among the first to trade Lemon Snacks on a large scale in early 2025. "The product was then actively promoted by influencers on Instagram and other social media, which served as a catalyst for the exponential increase in demand. Word of this then spread among retailers as well. After all, word of mouth is still the best advertising," says Najar, looking back on the striking trend of the previous year. The Instagram posts are produced and published by sales manager Wajdi Hmem.
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A sliced mangosteen (top) and portioned, packaged jackfruit. Mangosteens currently come from Thailand.
Instagram as an advertising platform
A similar trend is currently emerging with the two exotic fruits, jackfruit and mangosteen, Najar continues. In this case as well, social media posts were the initial spark. "This, in turn, highlights how important social media can be as an advertising platform in our sector. Our goal has always been to introduce consumers to flavors that were previously unknown to them. Social media can even help us spark trends ourselves. Since we realized this, we've also been actively promoting our products on Instagram."
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Granadillas are also enjoying growing popularity in specialty stores.
In addition to exotic fruits, citrus fruits of all kinds are an essential part of the product range. Najar: "In relation to demand, I would describe the available supply as sufficient across the board. Apart from the surplus from overseas at the start of the European season, this year's citrus season was quite satisfactory."
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Sanguinelli blood oranges of Spanish origin are sold under the popular citrus brand 'Der Flieger'.
Zündorf & Zerres GmbH serves a broad customer base, primarily specialty retailers and owner-operated grocery stores. "Our customers are located within a 200-kilometer radius in and around Cologne, extending as far as Goch, Paderborn, Aachen, and Koblenz. The split between delivery and pickup is roughly balanced: delivering goods exclusively would be extremely risky, if only because of the complicated route planning. Accordingly, we intend to maintain this balanced distribution and continue to serve both segments," he concludes.
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Wild papaya from Ecuador (left) and the standard commercial papaya Formosa from Brazil. The latter product, in particular, has proven itself over the years as a (price-)stable segment.
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Jackfruit (left) and Samba papayas from partner HLB Tropical Food in Kelsterbach
For more information:
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Abdessalem Najar
Zündorf & Zerres GmbH
Josef-Linden-Weg 6
51149 Cologne-Gremberghoven
Tel: +49 160 3688822
[email protected]
www.zuendorf-zerres.de
