Lively season expected for South American top fruits

José Cubero of Eosta expects a lively next season for the South American apples and pears. "In the first place a number of our growers suffered serious hail damage in the beginning of the year and that will influence the volume. In the second place the increasing transport costs and the lucrative close-by markets in Brazil and the United States will mean that less volume will be shipped across the Atlantic. Luckily because of our good and long-lasting relations with South American growers we nevertheless expect to supply the correct varieties and sizes to our own market."

Are the expectations for pears and apples still different?

"The only difference at moment is that there are less European pears than apples. Therefore we expect a relatively stronger demand for South American pears."

Looking at the attention food kilometres receive, why do Eosta still get these apples and pears from the other side of the world?

It is a common misunderstanding that this fruit should be less durable. Many people think that these products come in by air and therefore have an enormous CO2 footprint. Therefore we explain to our customers and final consumers, that our apples and pears are only transported by ship. There are various studies, which show that fresh apples from Argentina have a lower CO2 footprint than a European apple, which has been in cooling for months. We should also not forget, that there is a big demand for freshly picked organic apples.

Are you satisfied with the past European apple and pear season?

"It is still a bit early to look back, but we are certainly not dissatisfied with the results up to now. Again we have grown in this sector! For our Dutch growers, Biofruit and Gino van Acker, the season started a little slower than last year. That was because of a lot of trade in our target markets. But there we have been able to catch up."

José, many traders you work with are also involved in the local community.

Can you tell us a little more about that?

"Many Nature & More growers support educative and social projects in the environment. We want to stimulate this and therefore support these projects by donating 1 Euro cent for each kilo of fruit sold. In Argentina we now support four of those projects: a children's orchestra, horse riding therapy for handicapped children, a local school and a project with cooking appliances in the desert in order to be able to prepare a meal despite the shortage of fuel. With these projects we want to pay attention to social durability. With the assistance of special 'Thank you' cards on our website and Facebook and other social media we communicate for this not only with clients but also with the end consumer."

Source: Nieuwsbrief Eosta