Turkey is among the largest non-EU exporting countries in the sweet cherry sector. "While Turkey exported $134 million worth of cherries in the eight-month period of 2022, cherry exporters brought $214 million in foreign exchange to Turkey in the January-August 2023 period, with a 60 percent increase in exports," reports the Aegean Export Association.
Jochem Wolthuis and Yusuf Oğuz Evler at Anuga 2023.
Supporting German-Turkish partnerships
With a wide range of activities, from lobbying and trade fair events to support for start-ups and market analysis, DTFOOD Ambassadors builds a bridge between the two countries. That's because for this product as well as many other fruit and vegetable items, DTFOOD's network, led by Yusuf Oğuz Evler, supports German-Turkish partnerships. "We talk to both medium-sized and large companies, while also doing support work for smaller companies where we discover potential, such as modern start-ups."
Another important field of activity of DTFOOD is the preparation of market analyses and the identification of future trends in the food sector. The organization acts like a think tank group with an eye on developing new products and distribution channels for these products. "One of the challenges we face is improving fruit and vegetable production. Although Turkey is an agricultural country with an area even larger than that of Germany, there are still areas where Turkey lags behind."
New potential in Turkey
The connection to Europe still needs to be developed, as entrepreneurs in Turkey don't know the European market too well and therefore don't know how to dock there, Evler said. "That's where we come in. We observe the demand in Europe and see what potential we can pick up here. If you look at the cost development due to greenhouse heating in the Netherlands, for example, some companies are looking to solutions in countries like Turkey, where energy costs are still in line. In particular, we want to communicate such knowledge accordingly."
Due to the increasingly difficult production conditions in Spain and the consequences of the Ukraine conflict, DTFOOD sees potential for Turkey to become another important market in the fruit and vegetable sector. The organization is relying on knowledge transfer and new cooperations to correct the deficits in Turkey. In the logistics sector, the organization is in talks with the Dachser Group.
Dragon fruit and sweet cherries trending
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What is currently in great demand is dragon fruit, which is enjoying high demand in Austria, for example. Apart from that, Turkey is the largest non-EU supplier of sweet cherries. This is another area that could be picked up and improved." The industry expert sees further opportunities in products such as pineapples, strawberries and bananas. According to DTFOOD research, trade between Turkey and Germany generates 2.2 billion euros. "Around 500 million euros are sourced by German companies with their own brands, etc. The remaining share is generated by ethnic trade. It is estimated that these sales are generated at up to 10,000 ethnic markets. This means that the market share of Turkish fresh produce in German food retail is probably 0.1 percent, if not less."
German food retail in Turkey
In the wake of multiple crises in recent years, Evler said some German food retail chains and other market players have also become more active in Turkey. "They are specifically approaching companies in Turkey, both in the fresh produce sector and in the processing sector. While communication sometimes still fails over details, some food retail chains seem to be having increasing difficulty with the previous, traditional countries commodity, which is why they are now looking more to Turkey." Some time ago, DTFOOD had heard from a board member of a large chain that although Turkish cherries were not making big profits, there was high demand for the product from end customers.
"If you organize and invest properly, you can export many products from Turkey professionally. We always tell companies, 'Don't be afraid of the EU market.' But you need patience, a certain level of professionalism, sustainability standards, etc.' If you want to cooperate with the big food retail chains, you have to be well prepared and can't expect spontaneous meetings."
As one of the largest packaging manufacturers in Europe, Turkey is also home to many major exporters in the packaging business. "There is also a need to catch up with regard to sustainability standards and recycling processes. In this regard, we cooperate with the Green Dot in Germany and an English company that offers recyclable packaging. However, this is still uncharted territory for many companies in Turkey. In this regard, it would be desirable if there were a European packaging conference, for example also in Turkey, to show alternatives."
For more information:
Yusuf Oğuz Evler
DTFOOD Ambassador
c/o UNITED|MARKA -
Agentur für Markenkommunikation & Strategische Entwicklung GmbH
Postfach 420132
52036 Aachen
Telefon: +49 (241) 894 378 30
Telefax: +49 (241) 927 874 77
E-Mail: [email protected]
Webseite: https://www.dtfood.de