The new South African Sharon fruit season has begun at Special Fruit. This Belgian importer started working with Sharon fruit several years after the company was founded. "South Africa's crop is wonderful this year, with mainly small sizes," says buyer Lore van Aert.
Do not confuse Sharon fruit with Kaki, another persimmon variety. Unlike Kaki, Sharon fruit contains no tannin and (almost) no pips and is flatter in shape. "Kaki remains the most popular of the persimmon family, but Sharon fruit has gained customers at Special Fruit recently."
Besides South Africa, Special Fruit imports Israeli and Brazilian Sharon fruit and the well-known Rojo Brillante Kaki from Spain. "The Fuyu from Brazil is a tannic acid-less variety that, when ripe, has an orange to reddish-orange color," explains Lore.
"It tastes deliciously sweet. After harvesting, it remains firm for up to three weeks. The Triumph variety's fruit is usually seedless, and once ripe, the flesh is lighter orange than the other varieties."
Special Fruit sells most of its Sharon fruit to supermarkets in the Benelux and Scandinavia. "We expect stable prices this season, in line with last year," Lore concludes.
For more information:
Lore van Aert
Special Fruit
36 Europa Street
2321, Meer, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 331 71 252
Email: Lore.VanAert@specialfruit.be
Website: www.specialfruit.be