The first overseas grapes have arrived in a hot European grape market. "There is very little European product available. Heat waves in Italy, Spain, but especially Greece have caused a huge shortage of grapes in Europe," says Corné van de Klundert of Origin Fruit Europe.
"There were already rumors that the harvest would not be great due to the weather, but significantly fewer kilos per hectare were harvested due to lower bunch weight," the importer continues. "This makes for a totally different start to the overseas season than last year, despite Brazil having normal timing with the first arrivals."
"Prices are at sky-high levels. Prices of 19-21 euros per kilo are being paid for punnets of white grapes. That may be common in the Brazilian season, but for European grapes, it is extremely high. The price of red grapes is slightly lower, though, because there are a bit more of them available here," Corné continued. "This situation does put a brake on sales. This is partly because of the high price, but mainly because there are no volumes available for promotions to fuel sales nicely."
"Yields in Brazil vary significantly from grower to grower. In Peru, which has now also shipped its first grapes, a relatively normal harvest is expected, even larger than two years ago. Last year's harvest in Peru was somewhat disappointing due to El Niño, but that does not seem to be a problem with grapes this year. The very first harvest is not quite up to par yet, but a good harvest is expected for the later growing areas."
"The same goes for Namibia and South Africa. In these production areas, the harvest does seem to have slowed down a bit, but some of that may still recover," Corné continued. "But due to the limited supply of European grapes, availability will still be tight throughout November. We expect some more grapes on the market from December, but I see no reason that the price will drop tremendously."
"As Origin Fruit Group, we try to develop many programs with new premium grape varieties with our customers and that is paying off. With true specialty varieties, packed in punnet or paper positioned differently on the shelf, both growers and retailers can differentiate themselves through better quality, size, and type of packaging. A consumer also comes back to that much faster," concludes Corné.
For more information:
Corné van de Klundert
Origin Fruit Europe
Albert Plesmanweg 250, Port 2450
3088 GD, Rotterdam
Tel: +31 88 244 93 08
[email protected]
www.originfruitgroup.com