The start of the European sales season for Zespri's kiwis from New Zealand has not been easy. At the end of April, mice were discovered in some parts of the ship on the company's first shipment to the port of Zeebrugge. "The first arrival of the yellow kiwis was also delayed by a week for us, but we have now fully resumed," says Ellen Sebrechts from Sebrechts Groenten en Fruit.
"The first boat was not released by the FAVV," Ellen continues. Zespri itself reported that they felt compelled to destroy a large part of the fruit to 'protect public health and the brand's reputation.' "So, we had to wait for the next ship with yellow kiwis from New Zealand, but at the start of May, they finally appeared. At that time, you could tell that there was already a lot of demand from the trade for the new kiwis, which started the distribution and the search for large sizes. By now, we can say that the sales of the yellow kiwis are going smoothly with a comparable price to last year."
The green sibling of the fruit has also been available in the assortment of the family wholesale business from Antwerp for two weeks. "However, we see that the large sizes are very limited. We only see calibers up to 25, but mostly 20/22 and sometimes even 18 cm. The large sizes simply aren't there, it seems. Yet, they are still expected, so we will have to search and also pre-order the large sizes. However, we never know in advance if we will get them or not. All in all, we see that the demand currently exceeds the supply. Everyone is always happy when the first Zespri arrives and continues to look for them. Especially when the sun starts to shine a bit more, so we can definitely speak of a successful sale."
"It's also the time of the year," says Ellen. "People are looking for new products. Everyone is tired of winter products, so when everything becomes available in mid-May, the transition to the summer season is officially underway. It's also the peak period of the year for us. Citrus and grapes are replaced by stone fruits, soft fruits, and kiwis. In April, you can see everyone waiting for something new, but it's not there yet. Then, when everything becomes available all at once in May, there's a massive shift. It's not that clementines and white grapes disappear, but everything becomes a bit less and the alternatives are available. It's really the moment when you can speak of the summer season bursting into life. This is around Easter filled with asparagus and oranges, but then they make way for stone fruit. The most beautiful time of the year. Now we just have to wait for the sun," Ellen laughs.
For more information:
Ellen Sebrechts
Sebrechts Groenten & Fruit
Kielsbroek 4
2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
Tel.: +32 32374192
Email: [email protected]
www.sebrechtsfruit.be