The first Mauritanian Dumara watermelons arrived at Fresh & Cash GmbH in Wuppertal as early as 8 January. "That's about ten days earlier than last year," said co-managing director Cevdet Cavusoglu. "You can see that the campaign tends to get off to an earlier start, which in turn is reflected in quite high demand at the beginning of the new year."
The Wuppertal-based company has been importing directly from the northwest African country for a few years. "Back then, the season didn't start until the end of February. Our main concern was to bring the season forward accordingly since the first Dumara watermelons from Morocco are normally not shipped until April. However, it is clear that the early produce from Mauritania is well established, which is why the quantities are increasing every year." Prices per kilo are around 1.50 EUR/kg at the point of purchase, which is slightly below the level of the previous year, Cavusoglu continues.
After the end of the season in Spain at the end of August, Fresh & Cash GmbH offered its customers overseas watermelons from Costa Rica throughout the winter. The last remaining stocks are now coming onto the market and will probably be available until the end of the month. Cavosoglu: "There was always a lot of product available in relation to the rather low demand, which led to corresponding surpluses. It should also be noted that the Costa Rican product is considerably smaller and seedless compared to Mauritanian Dumara watermelons. Senegalese produce, which will soon be available, does not pose much of a competition either, as it is not the Dumara variety either."
Early produce from Mauritania weighs between 8 and 12 kilos on average, while later in the season individual pieces of up to 16 kilos are loaded.
Low demand for overseas melons
Over the years, Fresh & Cash GmbH has developed into a year-round supplier of the entire range of melons. In addition to watermelons, Canary, Piel de Sapo, and Charentais melons are also offered throughout the year, which are mainly sourced from Costa Rica during the winter. "So far, demand for overseas melons has been rather modest. Even at Christmas, there was no significant increase in demand this year, which may also be due to the consistently high selling prices." This is because melon prices across the range tend to be higher than in the previous year, Cavusoglu further explains. In contrast to watermelons, the remaining melon varieties of Costa Rican origin are usually available until well into February.
Wholesale market closure leads to customer growth
Overall, the two-person management team of the company, founded in 2017, can look back on a strong financial year in 2024. "Due to the closure of the Düsseldorf Wholesale Market, we have been able to acquire some new customers. Accordingly, in the new year we will devote more attention to acquiring new customers with the aim of continuing to grow," he concludes.
Photo credit: Fresh & Cash GmbH
For more information:
Cevdet Cavusoglu
Fresh & Cash GmbH
Vohwinkler Str. 119b
42329 Wuppertal
+49 174 3929313
info@freshandcash.de
www.freshandcash.de