As a leading importer and distributor of specialty fruits, vegetables and marine produce in Malaysia, Euro-Atlantic trades fruits from all over the world each year. At this moment, imports account for 90% of its business and domestic sales account for the other 10%.
For Euro-Atlantic, in recent years, the percentage of the trade in imported fruits has increased 15 - 20% in terms of dollar value. However, in terms of volume (metric tonnes), it has reduced. This is due to the fact that the cost of products has increased tremendously as a result of various factors.
“Most of our produce（82.7%）comes from more distant regions such as the Americas, Europe and South Africa. For Asian countries, we import mostly from China (Taiwan and mainland), Korea, Japan, and Australasia (Australia, New Zealand) which makes up about 17.3%. The only consistent local fruit we handle is strawberries and, occasionally, Perlis Harum Manis and figs.” Euro-Atlantic told FreshPlaza.（right: Ebby Loo, managing Director of Euro-Atlantic）
“Since we focus on exotic produce, most of the fruits will have to be imported. One of which is avocado, our fastest-moving and most consistent daily fruit. It’s available from Australia all-year round but we also take sparingly from other regions such as New Zealand, Mexico, Spain and USA. This fruit was deemed exotic 30 years ago, but after much training given to retailers, educating consumers and countless food tasting sessions, the demand grew and avocados are now available at most, if not, all retailers. It is still rather pricey but not as premium and exotic as what it was before. ”
When asked about the impact of Covid-19 on the consumers’ purchasing behavior, Euro-Atlantic mentioned, “During the pandemic, most consumers switched to purchasing commodity items and stocked up at home with items that had a longer shelf life. This reduces the exposure of going out often to purchase the next round of groceries. Additionally, price is also a major factor. Not just for consumers, it involves the entire supply chain - from the importers and buyers right down to the consumers.”
The focus on commodity items has caused a drop in sales for premium and/or exotic fruits. This is especially true for berries, premium grapes, and other high-end and highly perishable fruits. Just like vegetables, consumers prefer to buy commodity fruits such as apples, oranges and pears and preferably in larger quantities to get a wholesale price.
The unprecedented COVID-19 situation shaped this consumption trend. However, things are slowly getting back to normal with consumers spending more after the lockdown.
When talking about the next 3- to-5-years goal, Euro-Atlantic confirmed the company would focus on five perspectives, “Sustainability: We’re in the midst of expanding our new office cum warehouse. Working alongside a team of consultants, we are designing our new headquarters and cold storage facility to have a strong focus on sustainability.
Fully automated packaging line
We recently acquired a new packing centre and a warehouse equipped with some packaging machinery. Furthermore, we hope to cater to the consumer’s packaging preferences and introduce a new range of special packaging.
Diversifying from fresh produce into non-fresh food items
Euro-Atlantic has been focusing on fresh produce and seafood since its inception 30 years ago. Venturing into the non-fresh food range will give us a wider selection and able to penetrate into more markets. We also plan for more engagements and active collaborations with various charitable organizations.”
For more information:
Contact: Jenn Lum - Senior Executive
Company name: Euro-Atlantic Group
Company website: https://euro-atlantic.com.my
Telephone number: +603 4251 8482
Email: [email protected]