Shortage of goods
"Due to the snow cover and the fact that Easter is so early this year, we have a very high turnover,” says Stefan Seidemann, owner of the firm of the same name in Innsbruck. The wholesaler is centrally located in a major winter sports area, which is why the clientele mainly consists of regional hotels and other catering companies. Despite the scarcity of German goods, asparagus is already an important pillar, according to Seidemann. “German asparagus from heated cultivation is currently still very expensive, priced at about 20 euros a kilo. That is why we rely on goods from Italian and Greek production areas, which we can offer in large quantities. Their kilo price is about half that of German asparagus.”
In the business warehouse of Seidemann
In addition, regional specialties like wild garlic and strawberries from Italy and Spain are among the bestsellers during the pre-Easter period. Seidemann: “For Christmas, of course, we mainly sell exotics which have no big impact around Easter. However, the specific spring products are in large demand. Nevertheless, Easter sales can certainly be compared to Christmas.”
In addition, regional specialties like wild garlic and strawberries from Italy and Spain are among the bestsellers during the pre-Easter period. Seidemann: “For Christmas, of course, we mainly sell exotics which have no big impact around Easter. However, the specific spring products are in large demand. Nevertheless, Easter sales can certainly be compared to Christmas.”
Cherry tomatoes & greens
Marco Haegeli -owner of the firm with the same name and wholesale distributor on wholesale market Zurich- confirms what his Austrian colleague is saying. “We are currently selling large quantities of Dutch and German asparagus, as well as imported strawberries from Spain and Italy. Due to the cold and the corresponding scarcity of goods, the prices are high. The same applies to Italian Sanguinelli blood oranges, which are also in great demand right now. In addition to this, the Sicilian Ramato-Cherry tomatoes are a popular item: we are currently selling lots of them in the pre-Easter week.”
For more information:
Seidemann Fruchthandel Tirol GmbH
Inh. Stefan Seidemann
Haegeli AG Großhandlung
Web: www.haegeli.com
Gartenbote GmbH
Geschäftsleiterin: Anke Ulrich
Steinbeckstr. 66, 07552 Gera Langenberg
Telefon: +49 0365 4229121 oder 4229159
Fax: +49 0365 4200 153
