"Despite the war situation, we have not received less trade from Israel this year," says André Nieuwenhuis of FruitPro. "It has, of course, been a very intense period for our colleagues in Israel, but in the end, they even managed to export larger volumes than in previous years. That once again shows the resilience of the Israelis."
"Fortunately, things have calmed down significantly in Israel now that some form of agreement has been reached. Many migrant workers from Thailand and other countries have returned, and tourism is also picking up," André continues. "We are grateful that all our customers have stayed loyal to us. Thankfully, we have not been affected by any boycott, nor should that become an issue."
© FruitPro B.V.
FruitPro, part of Galilee Export, was established in 2017 to market fresh fruit from various countries in the Netherlands. "By now, product from Israel represents only about half of our turnover. For example, we are now real specialists in avocados, with a year-round supply from our own farms. We are also doing more and more dates, pomegranates and mangoes," André explains. FruitPro's customer base is mainly in the retail sector in Germany, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia.
"Prices were considerably lower across the board than last year, which meant we had to move more volume to achieve the same turnover, but it worked out well. For example, the avocado market was not easy in November, mainly because Peru and South Africa continued for a long time, sending in large volumes at the same time. Since then, the market has shifted back, and demand has increased, and I certainly expect that towards the holidays the market will improve further."
© FruitPro B.V.
"For dates, this year has been good. The popularity of dates is growing, and we are handling larger volumes each year. Our share in citrus is a bit smaller, but we will start with Orri mandarins again at the end of December, and that promises to be a great season. For mangoes, we have had a more challenging season. We did receive good volumes, but the price level was disappointing."
When asked about the biggest challenge, André replies, "Finding skilled staff. It would be nice to have a few more experienced fresh produce workers join our team. We are also training more young people now." In any case, the move to the new office in Hendrik Ido Ambacht has gone well. "We enjoy our new place every day. We provide everyone with a good lunch, we are close to the water bus, and we have a brand new gym, so it is great working here with a great team."
For more information:
André Nieuwenhuis
FruitPro
Antoniuslaan 1b
3341 GA Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht
Tel: +31 180 763 394
[email protected]
www.fruitpro.nl
