Libra Food from Hamburg started out as a pure online store selling nuts for private customers and has since developed into a wholesaler for nuts, dried fruit and spices. Managing Director Volkan Adigüzel tells us that the company offers blueberries from Canada, dates from Tunisia and cashews from Brazil and Vietnam, among other products. "Personally, I like the cashews from Vietnam a little better because I think they are creamier. But the bottom line is that the product quality is very good." Adigüzel can offer the cashews all year round.
On the other hand, there are problems with the dried blueberries from Canada. "There were crop failures of up to 40%, which is why prices have skyrocketed. In turn, the increased raw material prices have a strong impact on transportation costs. However, I hope that prices will come down again with the new harvest," Adigüzel says. While the prices for cashews have only risen a little, there has been a price increase of up to 100% for blueberries. According to him, the prices of pine nuts also trended upward.
Adigüzel also perceives that his customers generally showed a higher demand for elongated pine nuts. "These sometimes are double, if not triple, the price of conventional pine nuts." Furthermore, the Libra Food owner observed that there was also a higher demand for more environmentally friendly, recyclable packaging. "However, plastic cannot yet be completely eliminated, as it is still incorporated in the cartons, to increase the shelf life of the products," Adigüzel notes.
"We work with various importers and are therefore relatively flexible as far as quantities are concerned. We have the volumes to meet demand, which allows us to offer our products year-round." Libra Food relies on lean structures and is therefore flexible, passing on the savings to customers. Libra Food's customers include resellers for both online and retail, as well as various food manufacturers and other processing companies.
For more information:
Libra Food
Inh. Volkan Adigüzel
Langenfelder Straße 121
22769 Hamburg
+49 1590 614 83 88
librafood.de