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South Korea’s consumers prefer fresh fruit

Korea’s fruit imports have increased steadily after implementing many free trade agreements (FTAs) since 2003.

In 2014, Korea’s fruit consumption per capita, including imported fresh oranges, increased to 66.5 kg due to consumer preferences for more fresh fruit in the diet. However, over the last 10 years the consumption has still been below the international recommended quantities. A sharp decline is noted in consumption of the locally produced ‘Singo’ pears, which were also exported to the U.S. in the past.

Korea’s fruit imports have increased steadily after implementing many free trade agreements (FTAs) since 2003. Its nine major fruit imports, including oranges and table grapes, increased by 4% (24,000 tons) to 615,680 tons during the first 10 months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

In 2016, Korea is still imposing a 10% seasonal tariff on U.S. fresh oranges from March to August under the KORUS FTA; the tariff will be eliminated in 2018. In the marketing year 2015/16, fresh orange imports are expected to increase by 7.5 percent to 120,000 tons, a 9,000 ton increase on the previous crop year, mainly due to the end of the west coast port strike in the U.S. and improved quality for this year’s fruit. The U.S. is the major orange supplier to the Korean market with a 93% market share in the sales year 2014/15, followed by South Africa and Spain with 4% and 2% respectively.

This article appeared on page 18 in the News section of edition 141, Jan/Feb 2016, of Eurofresh Distribution magazine. Read that issue online here.

South Korea flag image: by various [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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Introducing the Fruit Logistica Tech Stage

Located in Hall 7.1c at stand B-08, the Tech Stage will also be the place to learn about technical solutions in machinery, technology and packaging. Participation is free and all presentations will be simultaneously interpreted into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Modern technology makes it possible to capture more data than ever before across the fresh produce value chain. How this data can be used to protect brands and consumers is the subject of one of six technical solutions to be addressed on the Tech Stage at the Fruit Logistica fair, being held in Berlin February 3-5.

Located in Hall 7.1c at stand B-08, the Tech Stage will be the place to learn about technical solutions in machinery, technology and packaging. Participation is free and all presentations will be simultaneously interpreted into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Other topics include how paper-based packaging can help companies pack their fresh produce safely and conserve natural resources, and details of the winners of the ‘FInish future prize for ICT in the fresh supply chain’ – a chance to learn about innovative software solutions already tackling coming challenges in the fresh supply chain.

Tech Stage themes in detail

How data will protect your brand and your consumer
Wednesday, 3 February, 11:30 – 12:30h
​Compac
Value chains for fresh produce are longer and more complicated than ever as consumers expect safe, consistent and tasty produce regardless of season and location. Modern technology makes it possible to capture more data than ever before across this chain. The chance to add significant value through the intelligent application of data is one of the great opportunities for the global fresh produce industry.

The world’s most intelligent digital sorter
Wednesday, 3 February, 13:00 – 14:00h
Key Technology
Veryx™ is a modular platform of chute-fed and belt-fed sorters, bringing a complete new standard of digital sorting. With its innovative mechanical architecture & sensor technology, state-of-the-art electronic sort engine, advanced machine algorithms and rich information capabilities, Veryx™ delivers a revolution in performance that defines the new standard for digital sorting.

FInish future prize for IT in the fresh supply chain
Thursday, 4 February, 10:00 – 11:00h
Euro Pool System International (Germany)
Presentation of the winners of the “FInish future prize for IT in the fresh supply chain” followed by conferral of the awards by the President of the German Fruit Trade Association (DFHV) and the CEO of Euro Pool System International (Germany) GmbH.

Enhancing freshness & reducing waste through packaging intervention
Thursday, 4 February, 11:30 – 12:30h
​Coveris

Increasing productivity and profit
Thursday, 4 February, 13:00 – 14:00h
​TopControlTargeted optimisation of packaging processes plays a major role in increasing profits in the fresh produce industry. This is crucial for greater added value, especially in times of increasing price pressure on the market and rising resource costs. TopControl helps its clients achieve significant profit increases by reducing the give-away, optimising internal processes and improving operations efficiency.

Paper-based packaging: the environmental choice
Thursday, 4 February,14.30 – 15.30h
Mondi Paper Sales GmbH
​Mondi Paper Sales shows how paper-based packaging helps to ensure safe and reliable delivery of fresh produce while also conserving natural resources.

For more information: Introducing the Tech Stage at Fruit Logistica 2016

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Opportunities in the world’s 2nd biggest organic market – Germany

The German organic market is heavenly depending on imports to meet consumer demands.

Germany is the largest market for organic products in Europe and the second biggest in the world, after the US.

It is also Europe’s main organic producer but nevertheless is increasingly dependent on imported organic products, not just for products that aren’t grown in Germany but also for potatoes, fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat and others, according to a new GAIN report.

There are good opportunities for US exporters of organic products but also challenges, it says. “Success in introducing food products depends mainly on knowledge of the market and personal contact.” It recommends that US suppliers analyse German/EU food law, packaging and labelling requirements, business practices and trade-related laws and tariffs, potential importers and the distribution system.

It also says that purchasing by German food retailers is fragmented and competitive. “Few German retailers import products directly from other countries, except for items that they purchase in large quantities. Most food retailers would rather buy from central buyers/distributors importing food and beverages.”

Read the GAIN report Germany: Organic Food Retail 2016

 

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Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo expects continued growth in perishables transport

Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo and its partners serve the main freight corridors for perishables between Schiphol and perishable exporting countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, South America and Kenya.

As part of its constant bid to improve its sustainability, Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo is experimenting with temperature control elements throughout the supply chain. Perishables director Pieter Fopma said trials have been carried out on routes from South Africa and Latin America.

“Experiments have been conducted in close cooperation with forwarders and shippers, for instance on the Nairobi-Amsterdam route: together with a cool chain consultancy firm, using their independent market-leading quality assessment services.”

“We are currently in the process of assessing, benchmarking and optimising the integral flower supply chain from farm to final customer with the aim of reducing time temperature exposure in degree hours. Furthermore, we work very closely with Wageningen University, Food Quality Management Logistics/Innovation, to support us on cool chain improvement, for example on the trade lanes for sensitive berries,” he said.

Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo and its partners serve the main freight corridors for perishables between Schiphol and perishable exporting countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, South America and Kenya. “Given the strategic position of Schiphol we are one of the main capacity providers (both on lower and on main deck) to the worldwide perishable industry, with a steady worldwide market share,” Fopma told ED. “Our full freighters (currently a mix of MD11’s, B747-400 F’s and B777 F’s) can carry 80-100 tons of perishables and we re-export via Amsterdam-Schiphol, primarily to various European destinations, Russia, China and North America.”

Challenging targets set by perishables forwarders for 2016

“As there has been an increase in demand for perishable produce globally, this has led to producing countries expanding land and diversifying products. In addition, the buyer’s trend is to buy locally grown and organic. The popularity of berries’ family produce, has led to countries like Peru starting to produce blueberries some time ago. We also see the production of vegetables in various countries is further improving and increasing like for example the Mexican bell peppers. African produce is also developing rapidly, which will have consequences for exports to the Middle-East in the long run,” Fopma said.

“Now that the socio-economic situation globally is improving, we are hopeful that the economy will further improve as well. With the health trends in the perishable markets that we have already seen, we are optimistic that we will continue to see growth worldwide. Although we see that some markets of interest are changing, we continue to receive requests from local specialised forwarders and large global forwarders, some of which have further strengthened their vertical organisation for perishables and have set very challenging targets for 2016 and the years to come.”

Increased quality demands

“Given the nature of the product as being very sensitive to temperature deviations and throughput time, customers become increasingly quality conscious and are increasingly demanding more elaborate and stringent cool chain requirements throughout the cool chain. Furthermore, we have to factor in inherent process variations due to different aircraft, product varieties and origins. Each station has different ‘context factors’, such as climate, distance from the runway to the warehouses amongst others, so these must be considered. This is compounded by increasing demand from the industry for standardisation of quality, meaning variability needs to be minimised as far as possible,” Fopma said.

“In this process, tripartite communication is essential with both forwarders and shippers. They are a source of information and tell us about their needs, which gives us a better understanding of the desired high quality product we need to deliver. The input leads to better quality onboard the plane, a reliable and sustainable network and the control of the complete cool chain. In summary, transporting perishables requires dedication, expertise and most of all a reliable product: In that sense we really stand out from our competition and we have a reputation to maintain,” he said.

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Fruit Logistica forums to cover top issues for fresh produce sector

Fruit Logistica Hall Forum addresses current issues facing the fresh produce industry

What will growth in online sales of fresh produce mean for traditional retail channels and their suppliers? What opportunities are there to move to a more environmentally friendly supply chain? And what are the challenges for one of the world’s most popular fruits – the banana?

These are among the current issues facing the fresh produce sector which will be covered in free forums being held as part of the Fruit Logistica fair, taking place in Berlin February 3-5.

Also to be covered are the issue of varietal diversity versus patent rights, Egypt’s strengths as a modern fresh produce supplier, the importance of food safety at the point of sale, and how to increase product know how at the consumer level.

According to organisers, seven such sessions will take place in the Fruit Logistica Hall Forum (located in ‘Kleiner Stern’), with experts addressing what are very relevant issues facing the fresh produce industry. All presentations will be simultaneously interpreted into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Hall Forum themes in detail

Fresh produce online? – The trade goes digital
Wednesday, 3 February, 11:00 to 12:00h
Speaker Daniel Lucht, ResearchFarm
Online shopping has become a fact of life for many consumers today, certainly in the case of many non-food items, but less so for food products and least of all for fresh produce. Many experts believe this situation will change in the next few years. What does it mean for traditional trading channels, and what does it mean for their suppliers?

Innovation in fresh produce – Sustainability at the POS
Wednesday, 3 February, 15:00 to 16:00h
Speakers Dr. Christian Geßner, ZNU-Zentrum für Nachhaltige Unternehmensführung (Centre for Sustainable Corporate Leadership)
Prof. Dr. Horst Lang, Globus hypermarket
Consumers today not only expect the highest environmental standards for the products they buy but also for the supply chain itself. What opportunities are there to conserve energy and natural resources? How can environmentally friendly logistics work? What can be done at the point of sale? And what are the implications for suppliers?

Varietal diversity versus patent rights – Will product variety suffer?
Thursday, 4 February, 11:00 to 12:00h
Speaker Szonja Csörgő, European Seed Association
Natural diversity is an essential feature of evolution. Does the “broccoli judgement” mean that the previous legal situation guaranteeing an open-source basis for research will change? Will it lead to less product diversity? What does it mean for research institutes? What does it mean for the fresh produce industry and for the consumer?

Egypt, partner of the future: sustainable, qualitative, safe and traceable
Thursday, 4 February, 13:00 to 14:00h
Organiser Agriculture Export Council
Egypt is this year’s official Fruit Logistica partner country. Investments in the Egyptian agricultural sector are high. Measures including the construction of packaging plants based on international standards are aimed at ensuring continuous market growth. In this Hall Forum, Egypt shows how its products meet global standards and international certification requirements.

The global banana market in 2025
Thursday, 4 February, 15:00 to 16:00h
Speaker Frits Popma, Popma Fruit Expertise
Bananas are the most popular type of fruit in many countries. And for many regions, they represent a key source of income. What is the production situation in these countries? What challenges need to be met in future? And how will demand in key consumer markets change?

Food safety at the POS
Friday, 5 February, 11:00 to 12:00h
Speakers James C. Christie, Bryant Christie
Dr. Sven Steinhauer, GBA Gesellschaft für Bioanalytik
The entire supply chain makes enormous efforts to satisfy stringent food safety standards and other certifications. “But no one cares once the product is in the store”, some critics claim. Is this true? We look at how the supply chain cooperates, and the important role of the retail sector.

Product know how – Informing the consumer
Friday, 5 February, 13:00 to 14:00h
Speakers Edouard Balaÿ, selfdata-drive.com
Katja Kamp, Looije Tomaten
A lot has happened at the point of sale. Retailers are making great efforts to train their staff. But the problem remains that many consumers are not familiar with many fresh products and have no idea how to prepare them. How can we change this situation?

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Innovation transforms the lettuce landscape

Knox extends the shelf life of lettuce by 2 days.

Nothing beats the freshness of fresh lettuce, and fresh-cut bagged lettuce has gained considerable ground in recent years. However, the pinking on the edges poses a problem. In response to this, the breeders at Rijk Zwaan – who are continually working on innovations and improvements to existing products – set out in search of a nature-based solution. They developed a research method and tested the extent of discolouration in hundreds of lettuce heads. And then they had a breakthrough: the researchers found a plant with no discolouration even after three days. Extensive laboratory and practical tests have confirmed this unique trait.

Crossing into varieties

It appeared to be a recessive trait and breeders set to work to investigate its inheritance pattern. Once techniques such as genetic markers had provided certainty, it was time for the next step and the breeders initiated back-crossing into various lettuce types as quickly as possible. Finally, after a decade of continuous research and development, the breeders presented six varieties with the KNOX gene: Cos, Batavia, Iceberg, butterhead, Salanova® Crispy and Salanova® Butter.

A bright future for lettuce

KNOX was officially launched onto the market in September 2015 during the Rijk Zwaan Leafy Event, and the KNOX varieties were on display in the demo field in Fijnaart immediately afterwards. Visitors were very interested in the concept. All the enquiries from growers and processing companies are currently being evaluated so that widespread trials can start in 2016. Thanks to KNOX, the future of lettuce looks even brighter. Needless to say, the assortment of varieties will gradually be extended over the coming years to eventually make a KNOX version available for every favourite.

“KNOX extends the shelf life of lettuce by 2 days”

According to Bauke van Lenteren, Convenience Manager at Rijk Zwaan, KNOX responds to an important need among processors. “Thanks to KNOX, fresh-cut lettuce does not always need low-oxygen packaging. This reduces costs and gives processors more options when blending . Furthermore, it eliminates the unpleasant smell associated with opening low-oxygen packaging.” Combining the benefits for the processing industry with the advantages for retailers – better inventory management and less waste – reveals the true scope of KNOX: a more sustainable chain in which this groundbreaking innovation will hopefully stimulate consumers to purchase and hence eat lettuce more often. “After all, the KNOX benefits ultimately create a better consumer experience too.”

“Result of thorough research”

Rijk Zwaan researchers Johan Schut and Kees van Dun were closely involved in the development of KNOX. “It was a severe test of our patience sometimes. When we conducted a screening using wet filtration paper, we noticed that the exposed edges of the lettuce produced a pinkish colour upon contact. But unfortunately none of the leaf discs from our genetic material showed any deviations. We then hit on the idea that the plant might need to be a little older so we decided to use a batch of 10,000 plants grown to maturity.”

“In the test, one of the discs showed significantly less discolouration. The plant was retrieved and thankfully it produced seeds quite easily so breeding work could start soon afterwards. And the results of the first ‘bag trials’ were positive, too. The fact that it was a recessive trait made it a bit more difficult to cross it into commercial material. In order to be able to demonstrate the trait when heterozygous there was an immediate need for a genetic marker, which was a considerable challenge in view of lettuce’s large genome. Genomic breeding and bioinformatics were just starting to gain ground at that time so, supported by these disciplines, molecular biology was able to develop the marker entirely in-house.”

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Argentina’s blueberry sector has its eyes on Asia

Although the US and the EU are the most valuable export destinations, the ABC (Argentinian Blueberry Committee) is currently working alongside national organisations to open up new Asian markets.

Prolonged rains and a cold spring, resulting from the El Niño current, led to a slow start to the 2015 season. In any case, the pace soon picked up again, closing the year with volumes only slightly lower than the previous campaign. Although original forecasts predicted roughly 18,000 tons, the campaign is likely to end up at around 14,600, reports Inés Peláez, general manager of the Argentine Blueberry Committee.

New horizons

Although the US and the EU are the most valuable export destinations, the ABC (Argentinian Blueberry Committee) is currently working alongside national organisations to open up new Asian markets. Among them is Japan, which closed in 2010. Since then, ongoing exchanges with the country have taken place in an attempt to move negotiations forward. China has also become a priority as a new strategic market.

One important breakthrough was the recent visit by the technical team from AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine) from China. This was the first ever visit, made to carry out inspections in the producer provinces of Salta, Tucumán and Buenos Aires. This is the first stage of assessment of the fields, pests and plant health risks.

“All the signals are good and we think that we shall soon be able to open up this huge Asian market,” said Inés Pelaez from the Argentinian Blueberry Committee. The committee is currently working jointly with SENASA to draft the necessary reports, as a first step towards the future realisation of a protocol.

There will also be other exchanges between plant health agencies, in the hope that 2016 will be the year the Chinese market finally opens up to Argentine blueberries. “The volumes now being exported by our neighbours in Chile amount to scarcely 20% of Argentina’s output. This makes China an even more interesting market for us,” Peláez said.

Quality and good flavour

Despite the development of the sector in other Latin American countries such as Peru and the potential competition, Argentina has conditions that other countries lack and the biggest challenge is raising awareness and appreciation of the quality and good taste of Argentine blueberries. Thanks to this, as different production areas are producing and exporting, if any unforeseen climatic event occurs in Argentina, another area can cover the shortfall so that the market is not undersupplied. This is why supply from Argentina is very consistent, notwithstanding what might occur throughout the season. What customers value is the stable market, consolidated over the past 20 years, with consistency of supply and reliability of all the exporters and the country in general. 

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Added value and market access at Syngenta

‘Fruit Quality Contract’ (FQC) is the value-added service provided by Syngenta to enhance market access for growers and partners

Syngenta’s contribution to the fresh produce industry is double: innovative vegetable varieties and integrated solutions like ‘Fruit Quality Contract’ to enhance market access.

With its vegetable seed division, Syngenta has a leading position in the market in developing value-added varieties throughout the value chain. They achieve better market value and differentiation with the taste (sugar, sour, volatile compounds, etc.), convenience (varieties adapted to the fresh-cut industry), shelf-life (better taste and long-lasting), as well as contributing to better sustainability (through disease resistance and better eating qualities). Kumato® tomatoes, Angello™ seedless peppers, Angelle mini plum tomatoes, Nebula berry tomatoes and Caniles™ tomatoes are among the most successful product lines developed.

‘Fruit Quality Contract’ (FQC) is the value-added service provided by Syngenta to enhance market access for growers and partners. It consists of helping with more responsible residue management in order to respond to requirements. FQC combines crop protection programmes in the field: digital tools and devices that help improve sustainable practices. These include operation pollinators, Heliosec to manage waste water from spraying, biodiversity assessment and improvement, etc.

Worldwide cooperation with growers and retailers

“We provide fruit growers and exporters with expertise in crop protection programmes, responsible residue management and market regulations with our teams using our unique, innovative FQC tool,” said Syngenta , food chain manager Jeremie Chabanis. The most advanced FQC programs developed by Syngenta are with farmers from Europe and Latin America with apples, pears, table grapes, wine grapes, blueberries and stone fruit. “We already have significant collaborations in Italy, Chile, Holland, Spain and India for fresh fruit; and in France, Germany, Spain and Italy for wine grapes. “The ultimate aim of these programmes is to deliver the best quality and sustainable products matching consumers’ and food chain expectations, like for example in the UK, Germany, France and Italy,” Chabanis said.

Helping ACP countries, too

“In these countries today, we also see constant development of the product concepts for both local and export markets, based on more convenience, taste and market access,” he said. Syngenta is getting positive feedback from farmers for performing varieties, crop protection programmes and solutions, and more requests from farmers of Africa potentially interested in the Fruit Quality Contract. They still have a lot of questions to be answered and face difficulties in understanding the complexities with European market regulations, voluntary standards and retailers’ requirements. “Exportoriented countries face constant challenges with changing EU regulations and private standards imposed by retailers.” Currency, trading barriers and logistics constraints add to the complexity.

PE

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Holland offers a unique approach to produce and logistics

Holland

“If you are a logistics provider in one of the busiest ports in the world, efficiency can become a key factor in the operational process.” So says Antonio Oken, managing director of Opticool. Located right in the heart of Rotterdam Port, this company is a good example of a logistics operator dedicated to stevedoring, fresh logistics and fresh packing. It has made it its mission to keep things basic and transparent. “Logistics is logical thinking. It has to be straightforward because that reduces costs and increases quality,” Oken said. The launch of innovative, cost-reducing ideas is paramount in this process. “We want to remain a pioneer in the logistics process.” One way of doing just that is to use inland shipping between the Rotterdam deep sea terminals and the ports of Nieuw Mathenesse, where Opticool is located, instead of trucks. This method enables quicker handling of the containers since waiting times at the terminal and traffic jams are avoided. The environment benefits from this way of transportation, too. Depending on the terminal from which the journey starts, ECT or Delta, a reduction in CO2 emissions of 84% and 57% cent respectively is accomplished as well as a 40% reduction in freight movement. “In our green business operations, the use of inland shipping is of great importance in promoting our organisation-wide vision.” Oken said.

Unburdening the supplier and retail buyer

“We focus on unburdening our customers. The Rotterdam port is a platform into Europe that everyone can join. It’s our job to organise the logistics process as fast, as cheaply and as well as possible for the people using this platform,” says Antonio Oken. Having started only 10 year ago, Opticool has created a young, flexible team and is now firmly established as one of the leading service providers in the field of fresh fruit storage and handling in the port of Rotterdam. From its premises in the port, with a capacity of 19,000 m² of refrigerated storage spread over 20 cold rooms and a total of 27 dock shelters, Opticool offers a full range of logistics services from the arrival of the goods in the ports of Rotterdam or Antwerp until the time of delivery. “As soon as your containers arrive at one of our 20 cold stores, the fruit is checked for temperature, packaging and general quality. Then, by way of a unique barcode, the pallets are registered in Opticool’s warehouse management system, linking our unique pallets’ ID to its own pallet ID. This enables full tracking and tracing of any pallet,” Oken explained. Since last year, Opticool has also been a proud member of the Agromerchant Group from the US.

More market stability for Dutch produce

Johan Hensen, managing director of Haluco, one of the leading Dutch growers and exporters’ organisations, looks back on a reasonably good season. “2015 was a positive year. From the spring to July we had more exports,” he said. And he predicts a positive future for the Dutch horticultural sector; thanks in part to innovation. “Dutch growers are leading the way in innovation and quality upgrades. We are still amazed by them,” Hensen said. Another field of innovation is improvement in supply chain management. Thinking about how the chain changes and connecting with customers’ wishes is becoming increasingly important. An additional bright point for the future is the increasing balance between supply and demand. “The flows sold in Eastern Europe are becoming more sustained and there is more structure in the sales. The demands that purchasers make call for a long-term relationship with growers, too. That creates stability.” 

New markets for peppers and tomatoes

In terms of produce, besides bulk products like block peppers, which take up 90% of production, and the larger vine tomato, there is increased demand for the sweet pointed pepper and the finer segments of tomatoes. Haluco sells its fresh produce all over Europe and is positive about new markets as well. “Sales into the US and Canada continue and Asian borders are opening for Dutch products” says Hensen. The opening up of far-away markets puts an increasing emphasis on quality and consumer-orientation. “The costs in reaching those markets are high so the products will have to comply with the highest quality demands,” Hensen said. 

Good import market such as citrus & stone fruit too

Recognised for its expertise in the stone fruit category, Wilko Fruit today supplies the large majority of supermarket chains in the Netherlands. “Our sales made big progress in 2015 and supplied 13 retailers in the country,” states Wilko v.d. Swaard, the company’s founder. He confirms the increasing consumption of stone fruit, largely due to the rising level of eating qualities in the new varieties and the larger volumes available from Spain in particular. “The Iberian peninsula provides us with 90% of our sourcing for all categories: cherries, peaches, nectarines, flat fruit and apricots”. Wilko Fruit runs its own office in Valencia for the quality checks and packaging. The Dutch specialist makes a selection of the best growers from the different provinces of Huelva, Seville, Murcia and Lerida. Citrus is the second category traded by Wilko, followed by apples, melons and grapes. The best selection is supplied under the “Gaudias” brands, which enjoys a good reputation on the market. Among its novelties and exclusives there are “Chocolate” navelinas, with a brown colour and an exquisite taste. It is packed in 6 kg boxes of 50×30cm. About 10 years ago in an orchard of navels near the WilkoFruit offices in Valencia, some completely brown fruit appeared on a branch of a navel tree. An analysis was carried out and it was decided to go ahead with a mutation. They grafted it and the result was the brown orange we have today. The “Chocolate navel” has the following characteristics: it is highly aromatic, low acidity, very sweet to eat, has a rather long shelf life and a good proportion of juice. Wilkofruit began selling this orange several years ago and has seen greater success every year. “When December comes, our clients ask us when we can send them the first ones.” Today, Wilkofruit sells this orange exclusively in Europe except in Germany, where the producer has an exclusive agreement with a major supermarket chain. „

MW 

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Fruit Logistica’s Logistics Hub

Logistics Hub is a new series of events presented by Fruit Logistica where producers, exporters and traders will find the information they need to help them take the right logistical decisions for the transportation of their goods.

The place to learn the latest on fresh produce handling and logistics, Fruit Logistica’s Logistics Hub will feature a new series of events held over the course of the Berlin fair, February 3-5.

“This is where producers, exporters and traders will find the information they need to help them take the right logistical decisions for the transportation of their goods,” organisers said in a press release.

To be located in Hall B, CityCube, Stand C-04, the Logistics Hub offers presentations simultaneously interpreted into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish and participation is free.

Topics to be addressed include:

  • “Understanding the Ins and Outs of Logistics”
  • “Developing Logistics Solutions for Trade Between Emerging Markets”
  • “Air to Sea Transport: Risks and Pitfalls”
  • “Innovative Perishable Logistics Concepts for the Emerging Produce E-commerce Markets”
  • “Strategic Cold Chain Investments and Examining New Outsourcing Potential”
  • “Reefer Claims: Addressing a Classic Clash of Interests”
  • “Focusing on the First Mile: Country and Produce Case Study Africa”
  • “Focusing on the First Mile: Country and Produce Case Study Latin America”
  • “Frozen Vegetables – Opportunities, Challenges and Threats”
  • ‘Anything, anywhere, anytime’: What does this mean for the fresh produce sector?”

For more details: http://www.fruitlogistica.de/en/TradeVisitors/Events/index.jsp

Pantos Logistics – Sea freigh image: By Romlogistics (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons