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"If it doesn't eat well, we are not ranging it anymore."

A 'quality-based' approach has kept sales high for a Melbourne fruit and vegetable retailer

A Victorian fruit and vegetable retailer says the decision to wait and stock only the highest-quality fruit is paying off, with most produce lines starting to hit their peak leading into Christmas, as customers put a heavy focus on the eating experience.

Alexanders Fruit Market Director David Zahlan says he has transitioned from being a price-based store to focusing on premium products and that is giving him an edge over his competitors.

"It has been a difficult year from a consistency, quality and price-levelling point of view, but having said that customer's appetite to only want to eat and buy good produce is still there," Mr Zahlan said. "They are not buying lots, but they are buying a bit of everything. We are seeing a consistency of buying habit, buying regularly of a small amount of things. We are carrying more varieties in pretty much every category and as a result, people are dabbling in a bit of it all. Trying to get fruit and veg that eat well is critical. We are stepping up our process to get a better eating product consistently. It is easy to fall into the trap of going on what looks good. I can sell someone a product today that looks good, but if it doesn't eat well, what's the point? The minute products hit their peak quality, people come into buy it - so if it doesn't eat well, we are not ranging it anymore."

It has been a rough few months for some growers with colder weather, heavy rain and even floods affecting produce in late spring. Mr Zahlan says, as a retailer, he made the choice that if any produce didn't have the eating quality, he wouldn't put it on the shelves.

"People are buying on quality; they will buy blind, by eye the first time, and if it eats well, they will keep coming back," he said. "The produce range was affected (by weather) but we just weren't ranging it if it didn't meet the button. Some of the early stone fruit was a bit patchy in terms of varieties but whatever didn't eat we didn't range, for example, we have just started ranging apricots in the past week, whereas they hit the markets three or four weeks ago. We will buy on what eats well, not on looks, because the quality may not be there."

Mr Zahlan has also noticed that people are becoming more open to trying new varieties of different produce with higher quality because the choice is there and the price is no longer the main driver in consumers purchasing choices.

"For us, tomatoes and cucumbers are very big lines for us," he said. "At the moment we have Hydro tomatoes, Truss tomatoes, Gourmet tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Black Russian tomatoes, Oxheart tomatoes, and about seven different Cherry tomatoes. There are 8-9 varieties just in our tomato category, and people are experimenting."

Cherries have been especially popular this season once again despite the high prices, according to Alexanders Fruit Market, while a plentiful supply of mangoes also made them a hit with consumers.

"They are super affordable and are eating well," Mr Zahlan said. "Mangoes have been our biggest category leading into Christmas at the moment. We started cherries two weeks ago, with some South Australian fruit that was magnificent, and people are prepared to pay the money for them. We sell for $30 per kilogram, but 28mm size, top quality cherries have good eating quality and people are buying even with the high prices. Our stone fruit is starting to move at the moment because they are starting to get a bit of flavour into them. Some of our delicate salad lines were affected a few weeks ago, but this week they have all started to come good and everything in the past five days is starting to look really good; capsicums, cucumbers, and lettuces are looking nice. Tomato volumes have gone right up, prices have come down and quality has come through."

For more information:
David Zahlan
Alexanders Fruit Market
Phone: +61 3 9563 1022
[email protected]  
www.alexandersfruit.com.au