At the heart of the Rungis market, wholesaler Halles Paris Sud sources the best fresh fruit and vegetables to serve Parisian restaurants, hotels, and bakeries. "We are semi-wholesalers, which means that we buy fresh produce directly from the Rungis market on pallets, which we store in our fridge. We then put together orders for restaurant owners who cannot buy directly from wholesalers because of the small quantities they need, and finally, we deliver the orders to them," explains Jérôme Mouysset, operations manager at Halles Paris Sud.
Halles Paris Sud
Among the 800 different types of fruit and vegetables that the company buys, peppers are still waiting for their moment of glory, which will come with the arrival of warmer weather. "For now, the demand is fairly moderate. Two weeks ago, temperatures reached 20°C, and the demand immediately increased. But it will really pick up once restaurants change their menus. We have started selling spring products such as asparagus, but we are actually still coming out of winter. When warmer weather arrives, restaurants will open their terraces, which will significantly increase the demand for fresh produce like peppers. As far as we are concerned, the peak season really kicks off in April, and peaks in May, June, July, and September. August is a very quiet month due to the summer holidays."
For the moment, although consumption of this vegetable has not yet reached record levels, prices have soared as a result of limited supply. "Bad weather in Spain has had a major impact on pepper volumes. Faced with this limited supply, prices suddenly soared. Although we can observe some impact on quality, the products are generally satisfactory."
For more information:
Jérôme Mouysset
Halles Paris Sud
Phone: +33(0)1 46 87 34 60
jerome.mouysset@hpsrungis.com
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