The Serbian apple season is just beginning for Fruta de Autor, which has been selling this product in the Middle East, Asia and Africa for the last three years, increasingly gaining business opportunities thanks to the competitive prices and quality of this product compared to other origins. The season will last until almost June.
"We have been selling Gala apples from Serbia for a couple of weeks now. We started the season earlier than usual because of the earlier harvest, which kicked off at the beginning of August this year; a consequence of the heat waves in the country," says Lázaro Pérez, Sales Director of Fruta de Autor. "The lack of cold at night has prevented the fruit from acquiring the right colour, but the product is still being very well received in Middle Eastern markets."
"This week we have started harvesting Golden apples, which we are also shipping to Senegal for the first time. We also hope to be able to export them soon to Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, among other West African countries where this apple variety is very popular," he says. "We will also start soon with the first striped Gala apples and in mid-September with the Granny Smith and Red Delicious."
According to Lázaro, there's a good Serbian apple production, with similar volumes to last year, and soon they will also start with the apples from Moldova.
The Spanish company directs its sales mainly to countries in the Persian Gulf, such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, as well as to Hong Kong, Malaysia and India in South East Asia.
"Serbia has been moving away from the Russian market since the war in Ukraine broke out, seeking destinations that offer higher margins and less risk. Serbian growers uphold the quality standards of our Anna brand in Spain, taking into account the destinations to which we ship the apples," says Lázaro. "The Anna brand is very well positioned in our markets, because we deliver an uninterrupted service and the same quality all year round, while working with a wide range of products."
According to the Sales Director of Fruta de Autor, Serbia has been investing in apple cultivation and handling for years, copying the Italian model, with good technology both in the field and in the sorting facilities.
"We decided to go for this product because of its competitive price, between 3 and 4 euros per box cheaper than French apples, for example. Five years ago, Serbia was not relevant in the apple market, but today it is a highly demanded product and it is taking share away from France in the premium segment in the Middle East," he says. "Serbian apples are becoming a very important product for us, as they already account for between 20 and 30% of our sales, together with citrus fruits, melon and watermelon and kakis."
"Although our main competitor used to be Poland, more and more of their production is going to the processing sector. Meanwhile, Slovakia and Turkey, as well as Moldova, are emerging as major competitors for Serbian apples in the Middle East and South East Asia, as they still haven't gained access to the American continent," says Lázaro.
"This has been a more positive summer than we expected, as despite the fact that the Red Sea conflict is still ongoing due to the war in Gaza and the tensions in the region, forcing shipments to go around the African continent and lengthening the transit time by two weeks, the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is still an exception. Many Serbian exporters are sending their shipments there and the goods are then re-exported to other countries. We are expecting a season with good fruit, with the right quality to reach all destinations," says Lázaro Pérez.
For more information:
Lázaro Pérez
Fruta de Autor SL
Tel.: +34 961 018 189
M: +34 636 62 31 55
[email protected]
www.frutadeautor.com
www.grupoautor.es