"The market for stone fruit has been really good the last couple of weeks. Demand is up, the quality is good and we have been able to offer a wide range of varieties at a good price. It's a nice change to last year which was really slow. I think that the high vegetable prices have also increased sales because supermarkets are having an impact on demand as they are looking for alternative products to display." shared Daniel Larsson from Hebe Frukt.
Hebe sources their stone fruit from Holland instead of sourcing directly from South Africa or Chile, for example, to ensure that they are able to offer steady and fresh supply at all times to their customers. Daniel said that instead of taking one container that might be sitting too long at the location, they are ordering 1-3 pallets as needed, which gives them the freshest fruit available and allows them to supply a wider range of different products.
"The most important thing as a wholesaler is to always choose the best plums on the market. At Hebe we don't always go for the lowest price but for the tastiest varieties which keep their quality. Offering lower quality fruits to the supermarkets will often cause the customer to have a bad experience which could make them stop buying the stone fruit. On the other hand, a good experience will have them coming back for more." concluded Daniel.Hebe sources their stone fruit from Holland instead of sourcing directly from South Africa or Chile, for example, to ensure that they are able to offer steady and fresh supply at all times to their customers. Daniel said that instead of taking one container that might be sitting too long at the location, they are ordering 1-3 pallets as needed, which gives them the freshest fruit available and allows them to supply a wider range of different products.
"During the winter months, Swedish consumers enjoy having a wide range of plums to choose from. We have blue (black pearl), red (lady red), pink/yellow (sapphire), yellow (lemon plums, sun kiss) and nectarines. The variety of colours makes a beautiful display for the supermarkets. On top of that, the prices for all of the different varieties are pretty much the same." continued Daniel.
"There has been an improvement in taste too, the growers have been really working on providing an even tastier product. Along with having better flavour and being attractive, they now keep their quality for longer periods of time."
Lemon plums, a product that has been available for a while on the Swedish market and started around 7 to 8 years ago when they were first offered by Nature's Fresh.
"Up until 2 to 3 years ago, I, like many others, had always thought of stone fruit as something for the summer time, but my ideas have changed now that the quality has improved so much. The taste is much more consistent and I don't notice a difference anymore between the fruits from Spain or South Africa. I think that this is probably to do with improved varieties and the growers keeping the fruits on the trees a little longer before harvesting them."
