At FruitConneqt in Deil (The Netherlands) the first Royal Gala apples have arrived from New Zealand. "We are the first with New Zealand Royal Gala apples this year," says Matthijs Nijhoff. According to the importer the general New Zealand harvest is considerably larger than last year. "There is more volume due to new plantations of apples which are in particular Asian orientated varieties. Also, less hail has fallen compared to last year. In the past few weeks there has been some more rainfall than normal, this means the harvesting and packing process (of especially the Braeburn) has been delayed. The quality and colour this year of the Royal Gala is great.
"Next week we will receive the first Royal Gala from the Taylor family from New Zealand. These apples just missed the connection in Panama to arrive this week. The expectations this year are high again, especially as it is high quality produce from New Zealand," says Matthijs. "Last year in 2016 we had a good season, both in quality and in returns to the growers. This year we see that the global demand is different compared to last year, the Royal Gala is really sold all over the world, we experience that retailers and consumers are willing to pay sustainable money for good quality apples. Royal Gala apples have a bigger outlet than Braeburn apples which are mainly being sold on the European continent and the UK."
According to Matthijs the influence of the European crop on the Southern Hemisphere apple season is limited. "Most retailers plan their Southern Hemisphere season in advance, which means the influence should be minimal. Incidentally we do see for example this year that retailers switched earlier from a European Elstar to a Braeburn from New Zealand. We advise the retailers we work with to start with fresh produce as soon as it is available. In this way it is possible to offer the consumer always a fresh and high quality product."
The main market for FruitConneqt is the retail in north-west Europe. The New Zealand apples are mainly being sold in Germany and the Netherlands. "Ever since I have started Fruitconneqt my goal has been to serve the retailers with high quality fruit. Next to the retail were the biggest part of the New Zealand apples are being allocated , there are a few specialists that are able to market the New Zealand apples very well," concludes Matthijs.
For more information:
Matthijs Nijhoff
FruitConneqt
Beemdstraat 12
4158 EM Deil
Tel: 0031 (0) 88-0560100
[email protected]
www.fruitconneqt.com