Consorfrut Poland, set up in May 2004 in Krakow as an importer and distributor of fruit and vegetables from all over the world has aimed to become a leader in the supply of Chilean produce mainly table grapes. They import mainly Thompson Seedless (which is also shipped from India), Sugarone and Red Globe, but also plums, pears and kiwis.
According to import manager Piotr Maik, “The volume of grapes has been smaller than last year. For example, the Thompson has been 20-25% lower than last season but thanks to our programs with Chilean growers, we’ve had enough volume for the European market. With Red Globe, the situation is better and the volume will be similar, although the season is a little delayed.”
One of Consorfrut´s advantages is the fact that it works on two market segments: the traditional one for wholesalers where we have five warehouses across Poland from which we distribute the products. And the next one is the traditional one with supermarkets, where we have been moving forward for a few years already. Our sales to supermarkets are growing and I believe 50% of our volume will be sold to them.”
Furthermore, Marta Blonska says that demand has been good in recent times, as Easter, just like Christmas is a very favorable period for the consumption of fruit. “In terms of volume, we started shipping 8-12 containers of Chilean grapes a week and aim even to reach up to 25-30 containers a week in full campaign, which will be a greater volume than last year.”
She also explains that prices have been quite high in recent times due to the market gap. But what will happen in the coming weeks is still difficult to predict, as after Easter the demand will likely not be so good. “The Chilean grape campaign, in any case, will continue until May or June, depending on when the Italian grapes arrive, on which we will focus during the second half of the year until the return of Peruvian and South African grapes,” concludes Blonska.
