The signals are positive this grape season. "It is simply an excellent grape year. That was already the case for grapes from India and Egypt, and Italy has continued that trend nicely," says Lucien de Wit of LuBa Fresh from Venlo. "The quality is excellent this year, supply is normal, and that translates into fast movement due to good demand from all over Europe."
© Luba Fresh
Son Luuk de Wit
© Luba Fresh
"The season already started well in Sicily, and now the season in Puglia is in full swing for both seedless grapes and grapes with seeds. With us, the traditional varieties remain in high demand, but new varieties are also making their appearance. We receive many grapes from our Italian supplier Bergware, of which we are the partner on the Dutch market, and they hardly ever touch the ground," Lucien says. "We have also had years when things were different, but this year, demand is good. Prices are also much higher than last year, which is also related to packaging and labor costs, which have risen sharply in Italy. For the better grapes with zest, around 2 euros per kilo is being paid," Lucien says.
In addition, the remaining grape supply is not too large. "The trend in recent years is that Greece has been sending fewer and fewer grapes to this side of Europe and is selling more in the Balkan region. Spain has less supply than in other years due to the heat, which creates good opportunities for Italy. August is traditionally a quiet grape month. By the end of the month, all the holidays are over, and the overall summer fruit supply decreases, after which September and October are normally the best months for Italian grapes. If the weather remains like this, we will still have Italian grapes until the end of November, but a lot can still happen," the importer concludes.
© Luba Fresh
For more information:
Luciën de Wit
LuBa Fresh
Tel: +31 (0) 77-777 7715
Mob: +31 (0) 6-41273443
[email protected]
www.LuBaFresh.com