Last year Zoutewelle started the import of Brazilian grapes. According to Denis Vasiljev of Zoutewelle there was talk about a success year and it should therefore not be surprising that this year the importer again has a program of Brazilian grapes in the assortment, in order to fill the gap between European and South American supply. Last week the first Brazilian grapes of the season arrived in Ridderkerk.
"We are the largest importer, but we go for high quality by selecting from somewhat better products in Brazil," Denis explains. "At the moment we receive both Crimson- grapes and the white seedless Thompson. These are packed in 4.5 kg and 500 gr packings, but for the first time, this year we also offer grapes in a mixed packing."
According to the importer the grape market is looking good. "There are still Greek, Spanish and Italian grapes on the market, but volumes are decreasing and so is the quality. I therefore expect that the supermarkets will change quickly to Brazilian grapes. Prices are at a nice level at about 16 Euro. Personally I was rather surprised by the quality this year of the Brazilian grapes. This can really not be compared with the lesser quality of European grapes."
Zoutewelle will ship grapes from Brazil till the middle or the end of November till the South African supply is available again. Like last year we will be in a position to offer a nice program of early South African grapes. The harvest in Brazil is comparable to last year. Our own program is slightly bigger than last year, but in general Brazil will send somewhat less grapes, because of the increasing demand on the foreign market," Denis states.
For more information:
Zoutewelle
Denis Vasiljev
140, Handelsweg
2988 DC Ridderkerk
Tel.: 0031 180 64 23 00
Fax: 0031 180 61 63 40
www.zoutewelle.com