"When it froze in Turkey in April, we already knew that the supply of apricots this year would be a complete disaster. We anticipated this by diverting to Tajikistan," says Richard Strijbis of nut and southern fruit wholesaler Tovano in Maasdijk. It fits into a pattern in recent years of spreading risks more widely. "To have a product, you have to look at alternatives. In doing so, we no longer want to focus on one country of origin or packaging. With multiple products, we can serve an even broader market."
© TovanoDried persimmon
"Everyone is back from holidays, so the buzz is back in full force in our trade. Next week, the supply of Spanish figs will arrive, and in about 3–4 weeks, we will be in full swing with Turkish figs. This year, we also started with persimmons from Azerbaijan. The first dried cherries from Chile are also already on their way. So we keep busy with new things," Richard continues.
© TovanoWalnuts
"In November, the first California walnuts in shell from Diamond will arrive again, which we have available all year. That market is not so hectic at the moment, but in addition, we also carry Chilean walnuts in shell, which differ slightly in quality and packaging but are also well appreciated by our customers," Richard says.
© TovanoChilean walnuts in shell
"Many of our raw materials have become more expensive in recent years. At least from America, the exchange rate is a lot more favourable now. That's really nice, because if we had to calculate with the exchange rate of six months ago, it would hurt a lot."
© Tovano
Seedless dates
"We are also switching back to the new dates. We are seeing steady sales of Medjoul dates, but in addition, we continue to see strong growth in sales of dates from Tunisia. Consumers are increasingly aware of the health benefits of dates as a pure product, without additives. Moreover, dates remain quite affordable. We also sell many applications these days, such as date paste as a basic ingredient for bread and bars, for example."
© Tovano
Medjoul dates
For more information:
Richard Strijbis
Tovano
Transportweg 47
4676 LM Maasdijk
+31 (0)174 52 83 33
[email protected]
www.tovano.nl