Mountain high, river deep

The story of the global coronavirus outbreak's impact on the fruit and vegetable business is a long and winding river. It began as a trickle, but now it's a torrent. At the mid-point of 2020, we find ourselves in the rapids, carried along by a narrative that has so many divergent branches and tributaries, it reaches virtually every area of the trade. Barring a world war, no other global event has had such a far-reaching effect on the fresh produce industry. Crisis or opportunity, everyone had a mountain to climb in the first half of 2020. Where the story will take us in the next six months is not entirely clear.

As we look out from that peak, the river ahead runs deep. All the way from sources of production, through the logistical complexity of the trade’s meandering middle course, and on towards its different channels of distribution, we have already seen many twists and turns since news of the impending crisis began to seep into our consciousness in early 2020. And for so many of us, there is still a long way to go.

Not a single person at Fruitnet Media International – not even those editors with decades’ experience covering the industry – has ever witnessed such a fast-flowing stream of interwoven stories. We've done our best to keep promoting the great things being done all along the fresh produce supply chain (not least with our Heroes of Fresh Produce social media campaign), but at the same time it's easy to be distracted from those longer-term market trends like sustainability, health or convenience. Before the pandemic, these things were gently nudging companies into new commercial territory, like the soft breeze in the sails of a yacht. Now, we find ourselves holding on to our journalistic hats as we attempt to make sense of the maelstrom.

Things are changing so fast, in fact, that to stop and tell the story is like leaping off into the surrounding whitewater. Prices are up here, but down over there; demand is spiking for certain products, but elsewhere it's falling; supply lines are struggling in one place, but strengthening in another; trade is booming for some, but others find themselves up the proverbial creek without a paddle. The lines between previously well-defined areas of the market, like retail and foodservice for instance, are increasingly blurred. Plenty of companies are thriving, demonstrating resilience and strategic fortitude. But sadly, some have seen their business sink beneath the waves.

At Fruitnet, our response has been to try and keep moving, and to innovate as much as possible. So we've launched quite a few new projects in the past few months. Chris White’s excellent conversation series Fruitbox, for example, now delivers expert comment from business leaders every week. Our virtual conference events, meanwhile, are keeping the conversation going for those who cannot meet face to face: exciting formats like Fruitnet Live: China, Fresh Produce India Live, FPJ Live and Global Berry Congress's recent European Berry Market Update, which attracted 500 people from 42 countries worldwide, are helping lots more people in the business keep their finger on the fresh produce pulse. (You can watch the GBC market update here: berrycongress.com/marketupdate.)

Above: A screen shot from our recent European Berry Market Update

Plus, don't forget our new magazine apps. Designed by the people behind The Economist and GQ, our great-looking apps for Eurofruit, Asiafruit, Fresh Produce Journal and Produce Plus landed on the App Store and Google Play in the last few weeks and are delivering the latest news, insight and ideas to smartphones and tablet devices.

Finally, we’ve also launched Fruitnet Reports, which will offer in-depth research and analysis on a range of topics. By providing this kind of detailed information and expert insight, we want to help companies, organisations and individuals better understand how the fresh produce business is changing.

Our first report, Pressing Refresh, explores in detail the impact that coronavirus is having on the fresh produce business. Highlighting the most important developments and looking at where the crisis is taking fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains, its focus is further down the line than a momentary news briefing. Plus, with any luck, by the time we reach those calmer post-lockdown waters, it’s a report that will give you a clearer sense of which way the wind is blowing and how best to change tack.

Pressing Refresh report can be downloaded free of charge right here thanks to support from our sponsor Fruit Logistica.