"It's a hot market for grapes at the moment," says Henk Vlaeminck of Van Dijk Foods. "Grapes are being sold at very high prices, but demand continues to grow. It's an unusual situation because typically, demand stabilizes when prices reach such levels, but it seems this trend will persist for a while," the Flemish importer explains.
At Van Dijk Foods, grapes are currently sourced from Peru. "South Africa and, more recently, Namibia are entering the market in small quantities, but we don't work with those suppliers," Henk says. "We've found that our customers prefer the quality of Peruvian grapes, and this season's quality is excellent. The sizes and calibers of both white and red grapes are very good. Perhaps this is why demand remains strong despite the high prices."
"There's truly a shortage at the moment," he continues. "This is partly due to last weekend's storm, which disrupted supply chains. Ships couldn't unload, and grapes didn't arrive as planned. After that, we were inundated with calls for grapes. Italy's season ended a bit earlier, leaving the market fairly empty. Combine this with strong holiday demand, and it's no surprise that prices are sky-high. Grapes are used in a variety of dishes here in Belgium and often feature on cheeseboards during cozy, dark evenings. I expect these prices will hold for a while."
Despite the current situation, Henk anticipates that more volume will soon become available. "More supply is definitely on the way. Namibia began entering the market a little last week, and South Africa is now delivering some volumes. These will undoubtedly find their way into trade quickly because the market is strong. There's plenty of room for more supply, at least until the new year."
The full team of Group A. De Witte with Henk Vlaeminck, fourth from the left
"However, we'll have to wait and see," Henk continues. "You can never predict exactly how the market will unfold. The current shortage is significant, so it will take time for prices to return to normal—if they do at all. Look at what happened with citrus from South Africa: prices were sky-high for weeks and then suddenly dropped. Grapes could follow a similar pattern. While we don't deal with South African grapes, their volumes could still impact the market. Still, I don't expect demand to decrease anytime soon. We're hearing similar feedback from our Dutch customers, and there's already interest in new programs in Germany."
The experienced importer has observed increasing popularity for grapes overall. "Consumer behavior is changing, particularly among the younger generation. Sales volumes for traditional fruits like oranges and apples are declining. People are less inclined to choose these kinds of fruits. They want something easy and quick. Grapes, especially the seedless variety, fit that need perfectly—you can just wash them and snack on them. Their popularity remains strong, and I don't see that changing anytime soon."
For more information:
Henk Vlaeminck
Van Dijk Foods
Kempenarestraat 50
2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
Tel: +32 15 55 65 61
[email protected]
www.vandijkfoods.be