"Traditional market in Italy still very important"

Spanish company Anecoop exports to various European countries, including Italy. According to Xavier Escoms Amat, a salesman in Italy, this market is very important, but challenging at the same time. "Italy is of course a producer as well, so we have to pay close attention to when the seasons start and end. At those moments, the market is ours. Seeing how Italians have a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, it's often a matter of large volumes. For us, this country is the fourth biggest buyer."

Export country
Spain is an important producer and exporter of various fruit and vegetables. "70 kilos of every 100 kilos produced in Spain is destined for export. So it's important for Anecoop to focus on early and late varieties in Italy. Our citrus and stonefruit seasons go on longer, up to ten months. We have already begun our citrus season now, with Clemensoon and easy peelers."

Xavier during Macfrut 2015.

Difficult
Xavier indicates that it's difficult to grow fast in Italy. "There are also still opportunities when the domestic quality is not as high. Still, in recent years we've noticed retailers having an increasingly strong preference for local fruit and vegetables. This is also partly imposed on them by the government. It then becomes more difficult to sell Spanish produce."

Traditional market
Product-wise, Anecoop mainly exports citrus, strawberries and stonefruit to Italy. "In recent years, we've seen an increase in lemons. The Italian market looks for quality, and they are also willing to spend money on the best varieties." Xavier says Italy is an exception in the European markets. "The ratio of supermarkets and wholesalers is about 50/50 here. In other European countries, the amount of wholesalers is smaller. So the traditional market is still very important here, and the power of the supermarkets is not as big. This is also because there are still many small retailers."

For more information:
Xavier Escoms Amat
Anecoop
Monforte, 1 Entlo
46010 Valencia, Spanje
Tel: +34-963 938 500
Fax: +34-963 390 838
xescoms@anecoop.com
www.anecoop.com