The calibers of garlic that are most requested by supermarkets are in limited supply, making the season difficult, according to Agata Czyzewska-Ziarnik, purchase specialist of Polish garlic trader Falcon Garlic: “At the moment, we feel the fluctuations in the garlic market and, as such, 2023 has been a difficult year. This is due to the low availability of the calibers that are most often sold by supermarkets. Despite this challenge, we’ve been able to successfully operate in markets such as Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and we plan to develop ourselves further in these markets. However, given the current restrictions in availability, we’re not actively seeking to enter new markets.”
Czyzewska-Ziarnik says that they're planning to import garlic from Latin America this season, next to their usual markets: "We've been active in the garlic market since 2006 and both import as well as distirbute the garlic. We specialize in supplying retail chains, but also supply vegetable wholesalers and spide producers. We mostly import our garlic from China, Turkey, Egypt and Spain, and this season we plan to import garlic from Latin America as well."
Although finding the right caliber is challenging, Czyzewska-Ziarnik states the same is true for other countries. “We’ve been putting a lot of work into finding good quality products and reliable suppliers. Overall availability in Europe is lower, in other parts of the world, availability is not as much of a problem, but transport costs from these markets must be taken into account. We also notice a decline in interest and a lower level of consumption among the consumers.”
Despite lower interest from consumers and higher prices, some industries still have a healthy demand for peeled garlic, Czyzewska-Ziarnik explains: “Lower availability, rising labor and energy costs and inflation have resulted in a significant increase in prices, but despite this we are observing an increase in demand for the most convenient product, which is peeled garlic. The share of garlic in food products is such a small percentage that among merchants, especially from the HoReCa industry, the need for convenience and hygiene in the workplace and comfort outweighs the need for savings. We hope that the situation will improve after the new year.”
For more information:
Agata Czyzewska-Ziarnik
Falcon Garlic
Tel: +48 605 586 769 (Poland)
Tel: +34 605 976 548 (Spain)
Email: [email protected]
www.garlic.com.pl