Organic products saw high demand and popularity in the wake of the pandemic, as Dirk Salentin, managing director of biofruit Ltd, confirms. The company from Düren is dedicated exclusively to the sale and marketing of organic products. "Organic products have come more into focus through Corona. We were able to gain some customers because consumers are now paying more attention to what they buy and, in particular, what they eat." Salentin explains this by saying that during the lockdowns, many retreated to in-home consumption as restaurants remained closed.
Dirk Salentin, the very driven managing director of biofruit Ltd.
Image: biofruit
"That will level out to some extent after Corona, though. While I don't think this trend will reverse, especially since many catering businesses have already gone out of business. At-home dining will probably increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, however, there will be enough people who will fall back into old patterns and turn to fast food, etc.," says Salentin.
Logistics price increases of up to 30%
The costs of cardboard packaging, materials and prices in logistics have risen significantly, says Salentin: "In logistics, there have been price markups of up to 30% in some cases. There is virtually no sector that is not affected by these high costs." However, it is not all about price increases in the fresh produce trade, he says. "On the one hand, many products have become noticeably more expensive, while some other products have been sold well below last year's prices. Both we ourselves and the trade in general are trying to keep the increases as far away as possible from the consumer."
Image: biofruit
Organic products as a lifestyle
"Through our online store, we have added marginal products such as organic spice blends, organic oils and vinegars, as well as organic vinegar blends, which can refine the fresh organic products. We want to create the organic fresh range as a lifestyle, enriching it with premium organic products."
However, online retail for fresh products is still very manageable in Germany, he said. "People are still struggling a bit in this country, compared to other countries such as the Netherlands. But we have a lot of demand for our fresh products. Salentin is convinced that the situation in Germany will still change somewhat on a larger scale, although he suspects that will primarily take place in larger metropolitan areas such as Berlin and Munich.
Plastic-free packaging
The demand for plastic-free packaging or unpackaged, loose products did drop off somewhat during the pandemic, he said, as hygiene was more important to customers than packaging issues. "Still, plastic cannot yet be completely eliminated with regard to some of our products, even though the customer increasingly wants that to happen."
More information:
Dirk Salentin
biofruit GmbH
Am Langen Graben 5
D-52353 Düren
Tel: +49 (0) 2421 / 69 35 4-0
Fax: +49 (0) 2421 / 69 35 4-18
E-Mail: info@biofruit.de
Internet: www.biofruit.de