Introducing Europe to high-quality Moroccan fruit. That is Soufiane Tarifit's goal. He recently opened his office, Eurober Fruit, in the Netherlands. "The citrus from Berkane is widely known as a distinctive product. I want to show that it can compete with Spanish citrus," says the young entrepreneur.
The fruit sector is in Soufiane's blood. His family has been growing fruit in Berkane, Morocco, for generations. But, for a long time, Soufiane's future seemed to take a different path. "I studied in the Netherlands and then considered exactly what direction I wanted to take. Initially, it wasn't the fruit sector because my studies never let me focus on the full process. Eventually, it sparked my interest, so I decided to go to Morocco to focus 100% on 
the process with my family at Eurober Maroc."
"That gave me so much confidence in the product that I decided to take on the marketing to Europe. They do the whole process of harvesting, packaging, and shipping. I plan to build the product in the Northern European market," Soufiane explains.
"I'm honored to have set up this Dutch sales office for the Groupe Tarifit. This partnership means we work directly from Morocco to the customer. We're based at Rotterdam Fruit Wharf, where we've started collaborating with Peter van der Laar."
Tarifit specializes specifically in mandarins, oranges, and watermelons. The company also grows grapes and potatoes, which Eurober Fruit's assortment naturally includes. "These are the main products, but if there's an eventual demand for other products, I'm willing to look for these, too," he says. Soufiane sees many opportunities for Berkane fruit in the European market. "The fields in that region of Morocco have already made a name for themselves with high-quality, sweet products."
"This citrus is undoubtedly distinct from the Spanish product, so people are willing to pay for it. In a year like this, where the fruit from Spain is experiencing some problems, there are opportunities. We have issues with sizes and somewhat lower volumes due to the drought," Soufiane admits, "but certainly not at the expense of quality."
"The fruit still has very high Brix values. These products are already very popular locally, and I firmly believe in them. Now, it's a matter of building a global brand with our Berkane products, where people know that quality is guaranteed. First on the Dutch market; then we'll move on," Soufiane concludes.
For more information:
Soufiane Tarifit
Eurober Fruit
80 Marconi Street
3029 AK, Rotterdam, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 614 411 543
Email: [email protected]