"The demand for apples at this time of year is always greater than the availability"

Edelvan Catic is a fruit and vegetable broker based in the Vaucluse department and specializes in large-scale exports. Through his company, Vandel Fruits, he sources his produce mainly from growers and exporters in Europe and South Africa to serve its clients - local importers and supermarkets - in the Middle and Far East. Apples, pears, citrus fruit (oranges, mandarins, lemons), grapes, kiwis, and potatoes are among the products he sells most.

Since the beginning of this year, the market has been fairly balanced between supply and demand for the products Edelvan Catic sells, but the demand is now starting to outstrip supply for certain references. "The market has been quite fluid since the beginning of the year. In general, when we manage to meet customer needs, we do not have too much trouble closing sales. But at this time of year, when the hemispheres meet, the demand outstrips the supply. The challenge is then to find merchandise at a good price and of good quality."

Although this imbalance between supply and demand applies to grapes, oranges, mandarins, and lemons, it is even more marked for apples. "There is always a lag time in production when the two hemispheres overlap. All it takes is for production in one hemisphere to end earlier and production in the other to start later to accentuate this dip. With drought on the increase, orchards are under strain, and volumes can also suffer. In the case of apples, this imbalance is particularly marked in the southern hemisphere, where there are fewer producing countries and smaller volumes than in the northern hemisphere. From August to March, there are always apples available to meet the demand. But from March to August, finding apples to meet customer demand is more difficult."

At the moment, Edelvan Catic is mainly loading goods from South Africa. "We sell apples, pears, and grapes, and we are slowly entering the citrus season, where we are just starting to fill the first orders."

For more information:
Edelvan Catic
Vandel Fruits
Phone: +33 (0)6 766 33 401
edelvan@vandelfruits.com
www.vandelfruits.com