Fresher than ever

Hello from the Fruitnet newsroom. I imagine for those of you who were at Fruit Logistica two weeks ago, your visit to Berlin left you a little jaded but hopefully also brimming with fresh ideas on the journey home. The three-day show brought together more people than ever before, which means even more opportunity to share knowledge and build connections. And it welcomed over 2,600 exhibitors from more than 90 countries – including record numbers from China, Turkey and Egypt, and notable increases for Spain and Peru – to retain its place as the world’s most international, influential, and innovative fresh produce trade fair.

For me, among so many fun and insightful moments, three in particular stood out. Firstly, Fruitnet’s first-ever retailer round table – attended by produce buyers from several of Europe’s leading supermarket chains – offered those who took part a chance to deepen their understanding of the market. We look forward to welcoming even more to the next one.

Second, the event’s management team at last indulged our long-held wish to hold a very different kind of business meeting, a mascot race, which we did on the Friday afternoon in the glorious surroundings of the South Entrance hall. And finally, there was the wonderful sight of AMFresh marketing director Patricia Sagarminaga dressed in a silver flight suit and a Spanish flag cape, ready to receive the company’s Fruit Logistica Innovation Award for its new red-fleshed orange, Onix.

All of which were delightful ingredients in an absolutely incredible and hugely productive week. Our job at Fruitnet is to promote all that’s good about the fresh fruit and vegetable business, and in Berlin at Fruit Logistica – surrounded by so many amazing companies and imaginative entrepreneurs – that job is simply a pleasure.

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More freshly picked stories…

Ups and downs ?? The Southern Hemisphere’s apple production is up, its pear production is down. That’s the headline from Wapa’s latest forecast, which compiles data from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. In New Zealand, apple and pear exports have just topped NZ$1bn for the first time. And in South Africa, exporter?Tru-Cape predicts a strong start to its European campaign after a good harvest. The country has also just shipped its first apples to Thailand under a new access agreement, opening an important new market. In the meantime, the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters has named Nathan Hancock of Citrus Australia as its new president, and Jorge de Souza of Abrafrutas in Brazil as vice-president.

Kunming soon ?? Agrovision has harvested its first commercial crop of blueberries in China, less than a year after it reached a deal to establish a large-scale farm in Yunnan province. Fellow berry marketer Driscoll’s has revealed it plans to introduce its premium range Sweetest Batch in new markets like the Middle East, Germany and eventually the UK after successful roll-outs in the US and Australia. Hortifrut has obtained Leaf Marque certification for its farms in Morocco and Peru, something which is expected to increase availability for European markets. And berry breeder Planasa has acquired ABZ Seeds, owner of the F1 seed-propagated, hybrid strawberries.

All at sea ?? Maersk ship Saltoro, part of the fabled Cherry Express between Chile and China, has arrived in Nansha, 28 days later than planned following last month’s widely reported mid-Pacific breakdown. As checks are conducted to assess what condition the 1,353 containers of cherries on board are in, the consignment’s fate remains very much in the balance.

Greener future ?? Our exclusive interview with Zespri’s Jiunn Shih offers a fascinating summary of what the kiwifruit company is doing to tackle all kinds of sustainability challenges. And for fresh produce companies not quite so up to speed with environmental and ethical matters, it’s also an interview that could provide a rather handy checklist. For Zespri, strong demand combined with its largest-ever crop (190mn trays) has put the group on track to exceed its global revenue target of NZ$4.5bn this season. And included in that figure are more than 3mn trays of RubyRed kiwifruit, which means the variety will be available for the first time in some markets. In Greece, meanwhile, exporter Zeus Kiwi tells Tom Joyce about growing demand for its kiwifruit in new markets like Brazil.

à la shopping carte ?? New research published by GroentenFruit Huis shows that shoppers in the Netherlands spent less on pre-cut vegetables last year and more on cheaper meal kits that combine different vegetables needed for specific recipes. That’s an important trend for marketers of Dutch-grown vegetables like The Greenery, which has just secured new subsidy funding to support its growers and help them develop more sustainable supply chains. And a few miles down the road in Belgium, Greenyard has posted a 5.6 per cent increase in sales for the nine months to 31 December, taking its net revenue to €3.95bn.

Further Espa?sion ???? Also expanding its sales is Spain’s fruit and vegetable export trade. According to Fepex, it shipped 12.3mn tonnes of produce worth more than €17.7bn in 2024, up 8 per cent in volume and 5 per cent in value. One major exporter, La Mancha-based Grupo Lomar, tells us it expects strong growth in onion and garlic sales this year, despite challenges linked to water restrictions, falling demand, and climate change.

This is the way ?? Italian company Battaglio has consolidated its historic ties with the Corrales family-run pineapple plantation in Alajuela, Costa Rica, to form export joint venture Agricola El Camino. The new company will operate around 500ha of production in what is regarded as one of the best-suited areas for pineapples in the country. And a trio of Chile’s leading fruit suppliers have agreed to produce apples for sale under the Sambóa brand, which is owned by Italian company Rivoira Group. In the US, Vanguard Group International has added citrus – including mandarins and oranges from South America, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and South Africa – to its North American sales and distribution arm, Vanguard Direct. And in Argentina, Javier Milei’s government has moved to deregulate the country’s fruit sector and remove regulations that restrict areas such as packaging, production, and exports.

Costly exercise ???? A new investigation has found that inefficient logistics cost South Africa’s citrus industry R5.27bn (€270mn) last season, a figure that CGA chair Justin Chadwick describes as “a debilitating loss of foreign revenue”. John Giles’ exclusive analysis for Fruitnet suggests there is a renewed wave of optimism sweeping across South Africa’s fruit business as the year progresses. But, with new production and new export markets, exporters need to sell more outside Europe. And they will have to do that while they contend with some big challenges.

Two-way street ???????? Two new partnerships could bring new success for the produce trade between India and Australia. Exporters AgroStar and Kay Bee Exports have shipped the first-ever commercial trial shipments of premium Indian pomegranates to Australia by sea. And Australia’s macadamia industry has welcomed a revised protocol for exports to India, which has removed the requirement for methyl bromide fumigation. Led by macadamias, almonds, avocados, stonefruit, and citrus, Australia’s horticulture exports grew 8.7 per cent to almost A$3bn (€1.83bn) in 2023/24, according to new data released by Hort Innovation.

Stop the leaks ?? “Almost half of fruit is lost somewhere along the chain. If you’re throwing away food… you’re losing water, inputs and money. We cannot afford to keep doing this.” A stark message. But at Fruit Logistica, David Kat of AI agri-tech firm Neolithics also shared a few ideas about how to start fixing the problem. In a similar vein, It’s Fresh says it has sold more than a million Rypen Case Liners, and apparently its latest shelf-life extension tech has struck a particular chord with grape suppliers.

Still ripe and ready…

Medi care ?? Egypt, Morocco, and other key suppliers in the Mediterranean region are the focus of Eurofruit Magazine’s next edition, which is published next month. Find out here how you can take part.

Run for cover ?? Securing adequate insurance is a tricky business for fruit exporters, but there are ways to reduce your risk, says Lina Jasutiene of Recoupex.

Thanks for reading…

Mike Knowles, Fruitnet Europe

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