The ninth edition of Freskon was marked by a strong presence of companies active in the kiwifruit and stone fruit sectors. The event took place at a transitional moment —between the premature end of the Greek kiwifruit season and the anticipation of the upcoming Greek stone fruit season, which so far has been marred by widespread frost damage and considerable uncertainty regarding the final impact of that damage. During Freskon, we spoke with Mr. Giorgos Tsiatsmas, owner of Tsiatsmas Fruits. The company is relatively new to the packaging sector, having entered the field in 2019, but has a long-standing tradition in fruit cultivation.
Regarding the kiwifruit season, Mr. Tsiatsmas stated: "This year, kiwifruit was purchased from producers at higher-than-usual prices, but the markets struggled to support those levels. In addition, there was pressure due to limited cold storage capabilities, stemming from the extreme summer temperatures we experienced. However, stocks are now depleted, and we're preparing for the stone fruit season."
Giorgos Tsiatsmas (center), owner of Tsiatsmas Fruits, in Freskon 2025.
The Greek packer notes that there is uncertainty around the final volume of this year's stone fruit crop. As he points out, "The season is starting with problems. There's already been significant frost damage from March, and a lot of discussion is taking place among Greek growers. However, especially for peaches and nectarines, we'll need to wait another two weeks or so and complete the thinning process before we can be certain of the final damage percentage."
"In this way, we conclude a kiwifruit season that, despite the initial cold storage supplies, turned out not to be as abundant as initially thought, and we're heading into a stone fruit season that will also have low volumes. Still, despite this similarity, the stone fruit market doesn't operate under the same rules as the kiwifruit market, so one case cannot be a repetition of the other."
The packing plant of Tsiatsmas Fruits in Imathia.
Mr. Tsiatsmas elaborates on his perspective: "Peaches and other stone fruits cannot wait on the trees or in storage the way kiwifruit can. So, fruit holders don't really have the option to wait long for better prices. In addition, Greek stone fruits aren't distributed to as many markets as Greek kiwifruit. Taking all these factors into account, I believe that the producer price for stone fruit will remain at last year's levels —when, once again, there were significant production losses."
For more information:
Giorgos Tsiatsmas
Tsiatsmas Fruits
Tel: +30 698 145 6829
Email: [email protected]
https://www.tsiatsmasfruits.gr/