“Physalis, passionfruit, coconut and pomegranate real summer tropicals”

While December always used to be the pre-eminent month for tropical fruit, their sales being at a considerably lower level during the summer months, that time is far behind us now. “The joint work of Dutch tropical fruit importers is starting to bear fruit,” Martijn de Graaf of Yex observes. “Sales are plentiful throughout these months as well. They are even better this year than they were in previous years.”

Besides mangoes and especially avocados which are growing quickly in volume, papaya, passionfruit, coconut and pomegranate are also specifically popular during the summer months. “But many tropical fruits are becoming better known because of the many marketing efforts. For example, we also see an increase in demand for purple mangosteen, and we continue to grow in the turnover of sweet potatoes. And there is still plenty of potential to grow. Because the number of people in the Netherlands who eat physalis, for example, is still limited despite the growth, and the consumption of sweet potatoes is still incomparable to that in a country such as the US.”

Up till now, product availability of most tropical fruits is large enough, according to De Graaf. “Because of El Niño there is a shortage of certain products this year. And with avocados you see that the cultivation is growing less quickly than demand, but most other tropical fruits are relatively readily available. There are, however, many sources world-wide that do not yet meet the requirements of the European market. Especially sourcing products that were produced sustainably and food safety is a challenge.”