140,000 kg of TOVs per week can be offloaded on the German market by Focus Fresh from Düsseldorf. The season started at the beginning of December 2021 and will end in late May 2022. "Purchase prices have definitely increased compared to last year. But one notices that the European market is very focused on Turkish tomatoes right now," says Güner, purchasing and sales manager at Focus Fresh.
"The volumes of the tomatoes are much better now than in previous years, which is also due to the fact that the production quality has improved. This has to do with, among other things, the fact that more attention is being paid to the judicious use of sprays. The tomatoes are sourced from the provinces of Izmir, Fethiye and Denizli. Sold in 5-kg cartons, TOVs are supplied loose to retailers."
Lively interest in Turkish fruits
However, rising freight, energy and fuel costs made the work more difficult. The demand for fresh fruit and vegetables, however, is still unbroken. One of Focus Fresh's main products continues to be Turkish pomegranate, although figs from the Turkish provinces of Izmir and Bursa were also very popular in the summer of 2021, he said. "We had unexpectedly high demand for this product. But Napoleon cherries were equally popular," Güner says. "Across Europe, we supply retail chains and wholesalers. Since 2021, customers from Spain, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands, among others."
Fluctuating rate of the lira
The fact that the exchange rate of the Turkish lira has been on an up-and-down ride in recent weeks was felt by Güner: "Prices are changing a lot at the moment. You can't rely on prices in Turkey at the moment, because they can change drastically tomorrow. This is problematic for us in that we naturally have to negotiate exact prices with our customers in advance, such as trade prices to retail chains." At the same time, the company was able to increase its sales by 30% compared to previous years.
For more information:
Güner
FOCUS Fresh GmbH
Kaiserswerther Strasse 239
40474 Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49 (0) 211 984 330 68
Fax: +49 (0) 211 984 392 01
Email: office@focus-fresh.com
Web: www.focus-fresh.com