The grape season is slowly drawing to a close and is now giving way to the citrus season, Klaus Burger, owner of Fritz Burger & Co., will confirm. "We are currently offering clementines from Calabria, which are at their peak in terms of flavor. We have calibers 2 and 3 available, the latter being particularly suitable for institutions such as kindergartens and hospitals. The unit price is in the medium-low range, but this says nothing about the quality of the product. Due to the drought this year, large calibers are hard to find in all product segments. In this area, the price range varies greatly," says Klaus Burger.
Senior salesman Özkan Özdil and owner Klaus Burger at the stand of Fritz Burger & Co. at the Nuremberg wholesale market
Normal supply quantity, slight price increase
"Overall, volumes supplied are within the normal range. Currently, we are sourcing our goods primarily from Italy, especially from the Calabria and Sicily regions, but Spain and Turkey are also among the countries of origin. In the summer, we again purchase goods from South Africa and Argentina," says Burger. The price is currently in the normal range, he said, although slight highs can also be seen. "But that's not related to producer prices, but rather to transportation and fuel costs."
Targeted purchases are driving the market
Customers are not only picky at the moment, but also very price-conscious, he said. "It's not just about price per se, but buying exactly what's on the shopping list. End consumers also seem to be shopping very selectively and not buying more than they had planned. As a company, you have to be able to adapt to this situation accordingly," says Burger.
Nevertheless, a certain normality can be felt again in the business, compared to the pandemic period, which, according to Burger, was a "catastrophe in the gastronomy sector. Certain goods such as colorful salads, i.e., lollo rosso, etc., were hardly bought, especially since this product is more interesting for gastronomy customers and less for end customers anyway. In the upscale gastronomy sector, there are now signs of higher demand again, but the reopening of this area has been relatively slow; here it is difficult to restart business," says Burger.
Food retail as the main competitor
"Energy prices do create uncertainty. But our selling prices have not necessarily become more expensive." Furthermore, Burger notes that the main competitor or rivals are no longer the other distributors at the wholesale market, but rather food retailers. "Unless someone is supplying the food retailer directly."
Finding staff is harder than ever, he said. "You have to really love the wholesale market. Those who love the job will stay, of course. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been around for more than 90 years."
For more information:
Klaus Burger
Fritz Burger GmbH & Co. KG
Leyherstr. 107
90431 Nürnberg
Tel: 0911-313119
Fax: 0911-317543
Klaus Burger 0172-8335111
[email protected]