"Russian market demands quality"

As one of the largest emerging markets, the importance of Russia has fast become apparent to produce exporters. But suppliers who aren't aware of the idiosyncrasies of Russian consumers will find little reception among consumers there.

"Berries are a big delicacy in Russia," said David Levy of Fresh Yagoda. "It's a product Russians enjoy very much, and they want to be sure they have good quality when they consume it." To that end, Fresh Yagoda is the leading supplier of berries in Russia with Driscoll's, a brand known for high-quality berries.

Fresh Yagoda supplies fresh produce to Russia and select Eastern European cities. They source their produce from over 22 countries and export a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. 98 percent of their business is in Russia and roughly 30 percent of their product comes from Costa Rica. When it comes to the Russian market, as with their berries, Levy said they have to take into account the special conditions present there.

"Russia is an emerging market," he said, "and it has changed drastically in the last year, in the last two years and in the last five years." Companies are becoming more sophisticated, and along with increased opportunities for new players, there's a lot more healthy competition among suppliers of fresh produce. But in case anyone thinks that new opportunities translate into easy rewards, Levy warned about the dangers of not knowing the local market.

"A lot of growers and suppliers which have not found success in the Russian market have treated Russia just like Europe," he said, "and that's a big mistake. Sometimes it's difficult for growers to understand the Russian market – growers sometimes think they'll eat anything, but it's not like that. They want quality products." The focus, according to Levy, has to be on knowing the market and reacting to changing conditions.

"There's been a drastic change in the way European companies have been working with Russia," he said, "it's an ongoing, evolving transition." But for suppliers who can adapt, he added, the opportunities are big.

"Every year, there's more and more demand," he said, "it's actually hard to keep up."

For more information:
David Levy
Fresh Yagoda
Tel: +1 1818-692-6298
Fax: +1 818-286-1552
Costa Rica
Tel: +506-871-80198
www.freshyagoda.com