The weather is changing. The days are growing harsher, and wholesalers have started transitioning to their autumn inventory. "Wild mushrooms, cabbages, pumpkins—you can see that as the days get colder, customers immediately show interest in new products," says Ellen Sebrechts from the family-owned wholesale business in Antwerp.
"It was a bit quieter until last week, but that's something we see every year when the kids go back to school," she explains. "People spend more on school supplies, and fruits and vegetables take a back seat for a while. Still, wild mushrooms and pumpkins started appearing in September this year. We even had some cabbages in August, but the weather was still too nice. People don't want them then; their minds are still on soft fruits and barbecue vegetables. It's only when the weather cools down that autumn produce comes into focus, and that time has now arrived."
"We hope and expect demand to pick up again. We now have everything back in stock, so customers can indulge. You can find all types of pumpkins—red, Hokkaido, spaghetti, or Halloween pumpkins—whatever you can imagine. That's typical for autumn. Market vendors want the most colorful and varied selection possible, so these items, along with wild mushrooms, chestnuts, and so on, come into the spotlight."
The business owner also notices the shift in grapes and citrus fruits. During the summer, they had to make room on the shelves for stone fruits, but they've now returned. "There's still some stone fruit available, but where we had five or six different varieties just a few weeks ago, it's now difficult to sell even half a pallet. People have moved on, and summer products no longer have a place. Now, they turn to the products I mentioned earlier, or Belgian top fruit, grapes, or citrus."
"I have to say, the quality of these is excellent right now. The grapes are large, and the demand is almost impossible to keep up with. This will last for about two more weeks before it becomes a challenge to find good quality again, until January when supply increases significantly. As for citrus, the Spanish season has already started. We're getting very good-quality clementines from Spain, and with blood oranges, the usual switch to Spanish, Italian, or Moroccan supply is happening now. But I've had South African blood oranges for a month already, and they're still tasting fantastic."
Ellen notes that the autumn season has truly begun. "Restaurants want these items on their menus now, including the traditional varieties like Jerusalem artichokes, parsley root, parsnips, red and yellow turnips, and striped beets. We're getting requests for wild mushrooms, with customers asking if they can pre-order them. We also have fresh wasabi, yuzu, and Buddha's hand. I had never heard of that before, but a chef ordered it, so we stocked it. Then other customers see it and want to try it too. That's how it spreads. It's great because people like to stand out with unique products, and we're happy to supply them."
For more information:
Ellen Sebrechts
Sebrechts Groenten & Fruit
Kielsbroek 4
2020 Antwerp, Belgium
+32 32374192
[email protected]
www.sebrechtsfruit.be