It's midway through the South American pomegranate import season and there are decent volumes of the fruit coming in. The first pomegranates from Chile arrived in early March, comprising of early varieties. Importers say product has now transitioned to the Wonderful variety. Overall volume is good.
"The pomegranate import season started in Chile two weeks earlier this year in the first week of March with the early varieties of Acco, 116, and Emek," noted John Maybeck of William H. Kopke in New York. "We are receiving the Wonderful variety now, which is widely considered the preeminent pomegranate variety. We can probably expect similar volumes this year or perhaps slightly more, but with our pomegranate import season running until June, it is still yet to be determined how much we will actually end up with."
Argentine pomegranates also arriving
William H. Kopke is now also importing pomegranates from Argentina. Maybeck said the company is the only major US importer of Argentine pomegranates and this is the second year they have been receiving them. He noted that the Argentine fruit tends to have a large size profile along with a good level of sweetness.
"This is the second year we are handling Argentine pomegranates," he explained. "The fruit are running large - mostly 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s. They also have a high concentration of arils along with a BRIX averaging between 17 and 18. Additionally, there is very little internal membrane, so overall they are an appealing and very sweet pomegranate."
One of the Argentine pomegranates
Demand was high in first part of the season
Since the first arrivals of Chilean fruit arrived, importers reported strong demand. The market was enjoying a decent run in the lead up to the April holidays, after which sales have since eased. "Initial demand was quite active especially in the lead up to Passover and Easter holidays but things have since slowed down now that those pipelines are full," Maybeck observed.
He did say that the overall pomegranate program is taking quite well but there is still plenty of work to do to help promote the fruit outside its peak in the fall months. "The pomegranate trade continues to take hold. It's popular with the terminal markets but still considered a niche item. Retailers often tend to see pomegranates as fall items so we work hard to ensure the fruit is appealing to consumers at other times of the year as well."
"Pomegranates sometimes have a tendency to have surface scarring, but we highlight that the most important part is the integrity of the arils," he concluded. "Flavor and sweetness is priority when promoting pomegranates."
For more information:
John Maybeck
William H. Kopke Jr., Inc.
Ph: +1 (516) 328-6800
[email protected]
www.kopkefruit.com
