Summer is in full swing, and according to one trader stonefruit is doing very well. “Demand for nectarines is slightly better than for peaches, but both products are doing well. Supply of nectarines is in a bit of a slump right now, due to the shift to other strains. Within several days we will be expecting regular supplies from Spain again,” says Jan-Willem Arts of Wilko Fruit.
The more sun, the better the peach sales
Arts indicates that the sales of summer fruit are always influenced by the weather, but that this is slightly more noticeable for peaches than for nectarines. “‘The more sun, the more sales’ is true for peaches. Sales of nectarines also increase slightly with sunnier weather, but far less noticeably. That is much stabler throughout season.”
Paraguayo v platerina
Arts says paraguayos increase in popularity every year. “You can tell peaches lose some volume because of this, but people will always continue to buy peaches. It makes sense that people do not buy peaches and nectarines and paraguayos, a choice has to be made.” He says it is noticeable that people would sooner buy the flat version of the peach. “Consumers would sooner grab a paraguayo than a platerina. Of course, the former is slightly better known than the flat nectarine. Besides, platerinas are still in their development phase, we are still looking for the best strains with a decent shelf life. I expect Spain will discover which are the best in coming years.”
Ready-to-eat is a risk
This summer, certain supermarkets also sold Ready-to-eat stonefruit. Wilko Fruit does not yet see an increase in that. “We have not yet noticed a real demand, but also I do not expect this to increase in coming years. There is an increase in RTE products, but for stonefruit this is an enormous risk, and very different for avocados and mangoes. People should at least consider very carefully what the best supply period is. Besides, stonefruit is actually a product that will spend several days in the fruit bowl before it is ready to eat. Most people are fine with that.”For more information:
Jan-Willem Arts
Wilkofruit b.v.
IABC 5212
4814 RA Breda