In June 2022, the Oettle & Grießmeyer Frucht-Import-Agentur GmbH became the Nutri Frucht GmbH. A comprehensive rebranding and name change was also carried out. The business activities and product range of the long-standing Greece specialist are now also being gradually expanded, according to an interview with the management.
Insights into Greek kiwi production. The main sales markets for kiwis of Greek origin include Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada.
Since March 2023, Michael Morgott, long-standing Managing Director of the previous company, Oettle & Grießmeyer, has been accompanied by Thomas Moulias and Dimitrios Kremenopoulos. The sales team was also expanded with experienced staff. Nutri Frucht now has a location in Bari in southern Italy, and a further location will soon be opened in Eastern Europe. "We see interesting growth potential in Poland and the Baltic States, where we already have good relationships with wholesalers and food retail buyers. We would like to further expand this network in the coming years," Dimitrios Kremenopoulos, one of the three managing directors, says.
Expansion in Europe and overseas
As a traditional fruit agency, Oettle & Grießmeyer focussed on importing fruit and vegetables from the gardens of Greece. "What continues to set us apart is our local presence. We are on site in Greece every two weeks on average and know most of the producers personally. And this will remain the case," says Kremenopoulos. Nevertheless, the aim is to gradually expand the variety of products. "In the course of opening a site in southern Italy, we also want to further expand our network there starting next year, for example in the grape and stone fruit sector. But we are also still making efforts to increase our strength in Greece. We have been working with a cooperative in northern Greece for two years, from which we mainly source white asparagus, sweet cherries and also stone fruit. Although it is a small farmers' cooperative with around 60 producers, it has state-of-the-art cultivation and post-harvest capacities."
The company has recently started operating on the global market under the new Nutri Fresh brand. The international team has also recently been expanded with employees in the Netherlands and Lithuania.
Last year, the company tripled its turnover and is set to achieve further growth in the current financial year. The company is not only focussing on sales in Germany and other European countries, but also on overseas business. Kremenopoulos: "We supply Greek Hayward kiwis to Israel, Brazil, and the USA, for example. But we also export products overseas that are rarely found on the local markets. For example, we export Greek apples and pears to Israel." In return, Nutri Frucht GmbH also acts as an import partner for products from the respective overseas country.
Insight into the kiwi grading at origin: The first Hayward kiwis perform well in terms of quality with Brix values of over 6.5, although yields are somewhat weaker due to weather damage in certain regions. Kremenopoulos: "Although the first prices from the field are pricier than last year, the demand is enormous, so overall, we are starting the season with confidence."
Greek kiwis on the upswing
An important item in the portfolio of the southern German company is and remains to be the Hayward kiwi, whose season is about to begin. According to Kremenopoulos, Greece has been able to significantly increase its market share in recent years, which is mainly due to the variety strategy of the Italian kiwifruit industry. "Italy has greatly expanded its cultivation capacities for gold kiwis, while green kiwis are tending to lose importance in cultivation. According to the latest forecasts, Greece will overtake Italy in a few years." The marketing window for green kiwifruit normally runs from October to May, followed by the annual switch to produce from the Southern Hemisphere, mainly New Zealand. "Last season, we managed to offer good quality produce of Greek origin well into June."
South African lemons are also a growing product pillar.
Growing acceptance for South African lemons
South African lemons are another item with great potential. "We have been offering these for a few years now and have noticed that their acceptance on the European markets is growing. Although they are somewhat pricier than Spanish Verna or Turkish Interdonato and Meyer lemons, they are of good quality. It is not without reason that this product is now also listed in many European food retail chains. Due to the difficult logistics situation and the adversities in the Red Sea, we had to plan ahead early this year. In addition, the long season for Spanish Verna lemons took us by surprise. Nevertheless, the first containers arrived precisely at the time - i.e. at the end of May and beginning of June - when the quality and quantity of the Spanish produce had noticeably declined. In this respect, there was a smooth transition to the new season," Kremenopoulos concludes.
Photo credit: Nutri Frucht GmbH
For more information:
Dimitrios Kremenopoulos 
Nutri Frucht GmbH
Munich Str. 18
85774 Unterföhring
Phone: +49 89 72680
Mobile: +49 17671621741
[email protected]
www.nutrifrucht.de (available soon)