Importing fruit that needs to be presented as ripe and ready to consumers is a challenge, but Worldwide Fruit has established itself as a key player in the volatile import space by selecting the right varieties and investing in ripening technology, processes and people. Chief Executive Steve Maxwell spoke to Fresh Plaza about the season highlights for its key commodities: avocados, apples and pears.
At Worldwide Fruit they run a tight ship, every step made by the fruit is noted from delivery, ripening to packing and distribution. Lean management is embedded within Worldwide Fruit. The company invested in state of the art storage and ripening rooms last September as they see that 'ripe and ready' is the way forward, the new facility also gives better product control and stock management. The company has many protocols in place so that staff at all levels know exactly what they should to be doing and the best way to carry their duties out.
Avocados
A few weeks ago there were reports of avocado prices ‘through the roof’ amid fears that there wouldn't be enough when supply was affected by seasonal changeover. “It’s levelled out, but it’s not been easy,” says Maxwell. “Seasonal changeovers are difficult, unlike with other markets we always want to be supplying ripened fruit. With avocados the crossover can be tricky as the ripening times can vary. It takes making sure you’ve got the right procedures behind you, making sure you know what you’re doing.”
Southern hemisphere avocado production is going to rapidly increase in the coming years, so will the market be able to handle all the extra fruit?
“I think there’s lots and lots more space for avocados. I can’t see anything that will stop the double digit growth,” says Maxwell. “It’s all about Hass. There are other things in the periphery, but it’s all about Hass.”
Apples
When looking at apple varieties such as Jazz and Envy, the season has been much better than expected, Maxwell says. “When the market’s tough and there’s deflation out there, the products that people actually value show their brand equity. So Pink Lady had a good year, Jazz had a good year, because people really value the product that they’re going to get, so they stand up.”
As a share of the market, Jazz is around four percent, with Gala and Braburn numbers 1 and 2 whilst Pink Lady is strongly growing market share, according to Maxwell. “Within seven years we want to double Jazz sales, and get around 7% market share. It’s about getting behind it and planting it,” he says. “For growers and consumers it’s always consistently better than the commodity apple.”
The Envy variety is not as well known in the UK, and not expected to take off overnight, but has taken off in Asian markets and the US where consumers love a super sweet apple, Maxwell says. “We’ve got a more tangy taste profile in Northern Europe, but if you look at the demographics in the UK they’re changing all the time, and we find products with a sweeter profile are selling better, and Envy is the best.”
Envy is already growing within the UK, and Worldwide Fruit manages the program.
Pears
English conference pears were not as abundant as some would have liked and had price pressure due the large Dutch and Belgian crop. Italian Williams though held it’s own according to Maxwell. “People want to buy it. Williams really stood up delivering great taste and great sales. We’re now into the Southern Hemisphere season and we are the only company that supply Williams 52 weeks of the year.”
All in all pears haven’t had the ‘best year due to deflationary pricing’ and some consumers are slightly confused by marketing different varieties under the blanket term ‘blush’ according to Mr Maxwell, which lead to an overall market share of less than 10% for blush varieties. “Our biggest seller of ripe and ready pears is Conference,” he says. “For pears and avocados the growth is coming from transitioning from hard to ripe and ready.” That has spurred investment in ripening technology, implementing a traffic light system for avocados and saving time and money as well as avoiding food waste, according to him. “That way people are happier and we do it cheaper.”
In terms of currency fluctuations, Worldwide Fruit and its partners are tracking the rand, the US dollar and the New Zealand dollar at the moment, and did experience ‘deflationary prices’ following the Russian import ban, according to Maxwell. “It meant that the season started low and then it was slow to recover. I think Gala were lower than they needed to be, and Conference started really deflationary so it put pressure on everybody’s returns.” All in all it is just about understanding, managing and maximising your influence on the flow of fluctuations, and supplying great tasting fruit 52 weeks of the year, according to him.
