Despite the 
desire for more sustainability and regionality, the demand for overseas products seems to remain high, as Denis Piper, sales manager at Melzig Ltd in Aschaffenburg, tells us. "In recent years, the demand for overseas goods has even increased. We try to focus on regional products, of course, and consumers have also developed a good awareness of regional products. Still, the consumer's mindset is that they want all the produce they can get all year round, if possible."
Nectarines and cherries throughout the winter
Piper explains that consumers simply don't want to do without cherries or peaches in the winter, for example, to be able to prepare certain recipes. "The options we have these days do, after all, allow for that. We now sell peaches and nectarines, as well as Paraguayos, throughout the winter," says Piper. Piper sources the nectarines from South Africa, with the season starting in late November/early December. But the end of the season is near, he says, which is also evident in the quality.
"The demand, especially in food retail, is quite high. We sell about 250kg per variety per week. We have both yellow and white varieties, although the sale of the latter is no longer too profitable," says Piper. There have been occasional corona-related delays in shipping, he adds. Nectarine prices are up about 10-15% from last year. "We use 2.5kg containers in cardboard boxes, which allows both small and large customers to purchase the product more flexibly."
High demand for cherries from Chile
"Paraguayos and cherries were in high demand at Christmas/New Year time, for example. The cherry season started in November, with an end of availability slowly appearing as well. 200-300kg per week, since January about 100kg per week." Since the cherry as a product is more sensitive, but also of higher quality, Melzig Ltd packs the cherries in breathable plastic films so that the goods can survive the transport well, he said. There have also been isolated difficulties with air freight, which has also affected availability.
"The quality of Chilean cherries continues to be good, both in terms of sizes, coloration and taste. We market our products within a radius of 100km, which includes the greater Aschaffenburg area, Bavaria as well as parts of the Rhine-Main region. Especially larger supermarkets show a great interest in the cherries. For our food retail and catering customers, the cherries are now a standard product in winter," says Piper.
Dealing with Corona
Basically, Melzig Ltd has seen growth in every year so far, he says. "During Corona, we even had a slightly stronger push. Because of the many divisions we serve, we've been able to maintain our sales growth." From restaurateur to restaurateur, coping with the current situation varies, Piper notes. "Every customer is dealing with the circumstances differently. After all, some regulations have been relaxed again. But customers are still quite cautious. It has become more difficult for restaurateurs, but they are still there as customers."
For more information:
Denis Piper
Frischezentrum Melzig
Magnolienweg 46
63741 Aschaffenburg
Tel: +49 60 21 / 150 87 – 0
Fax: +49 60 21 / 150 87 – 10
[email protected]
melzig-gmbh.de
