The Spanish stone fruit season is nearing its end again at Marni Fruit. This Dutch importer deliberately chooses not to stretch the season too long. "Both quality and volume-wise, the stone fruit has suffered from the heat. There are far fewer really good quality fruit than in other years," says Erik-Jan Thur.
"We got especially fewer peaches and nectarines. It's been scorching in Spain, so the fruit quickly gets overripe. That results in somewhat more skin wrinkling, so Spain is sending slightly less product. Flat peaches are the exception; we've had quite a few of these. These are harvested a little later, are a little firmer, and hold up a little better in the heat."
"The current plum supply is good too. We're getting the Reine Claude, President, and Stanley varieties which thrived under the Spanish sun. We're also offering the last Spanish apricots. These, too, are pretty standard quality, though I think the French ones are slightly better. Good apricots fetch between €9 and €11, depending on size, with the slightly inferior ones selling for €6 to €7," Erik-Jan explains.
"Flat peaches go for €7-€8, a fairly standard price. Good peaches and nectarines are priced from €7 to 7.50. It's generally not a top summer for stone fruit sales. Demand wasn't disappointing, but people want good quality, and that wasn't easy to find this year. Also, when it rains a lot here, demand is much lower. That was different last year with that exceptional heat. Sales ran a lot faster."
"We should get Spanish peaches and flat peaches for a week or two more, so we'll end the season sooner than planned. Then it's September already, and our focus switches to different products, like mandarins and pomegranates," the importer concludes.
For more information:
Erik-Jan Thur
Marni Fruit
52 Gebroken Meeldijk
2991 VD, Barendrecht, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 180 697 996
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.marnifruit.nl
