Berries production in Greece has gained ground over the last five years, with more growers turning to these crops. "Until 12-13 years ago, strawberries were the only type of berries cultivated in Greece. Back then, a handful of growers started experimenting with other types of berries. Some of them failed, some continued, and some joined this process later. Our company commenced its berry business in 2013. Since then, it has expanded its activities to all types of berries, while it holds partnerships with more growers from all over Greece and abroad to ensure the consistency of our supplies," says Mr. Antreas Kordonouris from the sales department of the Greek berry exporter, Berry Plasma, headquartered in Ilia.
It might seem strange, but contrary to other crops, the Greek market is more profitable when it comes to berries compared to foreign markets. According to Mr. Kordonouris, this is easily explained: "We started our activity in berries in 2013. In the beginning, we were sending our berries to Central European markets, but we found out that we could not compete with the prices offered there for massive Spanish and Moroccan deliveries. So, we turned to the Greek market. Our company sells 80% of its products here, and the remainder is destined for Cyprus. In these markets, Greek and imported products have similar prices, but buyers prefer the Greek product because its proximity guarantees increased freshness."
The Greek market has also proved to be increasingly receptive to berries. "We see increased demand for all types of berries in Greece. The fruits are shipped to their destination no later than 24 hours after harvest. Berries are a relatively new product for Greek consumers. All our berries, offered under the brand Olympic Land, are offered in clamshells of 125g. We also experiment with larger packaging of 250g, 400g, and even 1kg for blueberries, but when it comes to raspberries and blackberries, these types of packaging are inappropriate because the berries damage each other in such large packs."
Mr. Kordonouris forecasts different market perspectives for the various berry types. "We import blueberries to ensure our market supplies. Although blueberry demand is increasing, supply is growing even faster. I believe that in three years, we will experience an international oversupply of blueberries. "On the contrary, Spain's declining production of raspberries and blackberries has led major European importers to turn to Greece to source additional supplies. This factor favors the expansion of Greek cultivation, but on the other hand, there are also limiting factors. There is not enough workforce to support a large-scale expansion of berry cultivation in Ilia, especially when the region's star product, the strawberry, is already facing labor shortages."
However, Berry Plasma has managed to carry out significant improvements in its berry activities and projects further growth. Mr. Kordonouris says: "The first years were quite challenging, but gradually we found the right varieties that expanded our business. We have managed to offer larger blueberries and also move the beginning of their harvest earlier, to mid-February. Our raspberry campaign currently lasts 44 weeks per year, and we plan to extend it by four more weeks while experimenting with new varieties to open new marketing windows for blackberries in autumn and winter."
For more information
Antreas Kordonouris
Berry Plasma
Tel: +30 26230 73057
Email: info@berryplasma.gr
https://berryplasma.gr/