It is dreadful in top fruit at the moment. According to Perry Verstraaten, salesman at wholesaler De Blaeij, there are various causes for this. "The prices of apples and pears are low and this has to do with the stock that is still on the market, the holiday period and the fair in Berlin last week, among other things."
Not good
He indicates that this can't last for too long. "it's not a good market situation for growers or the trade. The pear prices plummeted a few weeks ago and the small sizes in particular are struggling. It's the same story for apples, the prices aren't anything to write home about."
Club varieties
Perry notices that in recent years there has been increasing demand for club varieties. "I used to buy large parties, but nowadays it's small volumes of a certain variety or brand. Kanzi does well and there is also good demand for Pink lady. Another example is the Lola. This variety is booming. They are appreciated for their good flavour and good shelf life. The prices of those special varieties are higher than the rest, but people happily pay it. Fruit and vegetable specialists and farm shops buy them to define themselves. Their customers are asking for them and then trade is natural."
Jonagold forgotten
He sees that people are leaving varieties like Jonagold. "It's moving more to the background. Or it has to be really nicely packaged and get extra attention in the area of quality, this will raise interest. The packaging often sells the product. The Jonagold that is loose in a blue tray, doesn't attract much attention any more." He indicates that they buy Jonagold standard from Bex Fruit. "These are growers that present their product perfectly and you notice it. They supply the same good quality all year round and the packaging looks attractive. I also have a set grower for pears, who supply products our customer voice their satisfaction about."
