“Demand for organic citrus fruits from overseas came much later than last year”
At BeFair Bio, the South African organic citrus season has been underway for over 2.5 months now. “The season started differently than last year, when the smaller European harvest meant that the trade was pulled out from under you before the fruit even arrived. There is a little less of that now,” says Roelant Komen.
“For example, European organic lemons were available for a very long time this year. Now the European ones are running out and customers are switching to South Africa and Chile. Demand is now slowly declining. The prices of overseas lemons are also much higher than those of European ones, which is also leading to a decline in sales.”
“In addition, the season for organic Valencia oranges is now in full swing. There are still some European oranges here, but they are running out. As for grapefruit imports, we had to make do with nothing in South Africa for two to three weeks because of the bad weather. This has ensured a clean market, even for the less sought-after coarse sizes,” Roelant continued.
BeFair Bio started in Poeldijk a year and a half ago. “We come from a time when high inflation put pressure on organic sales, but I have to say that we are very happy with the sales. Last year we were very busy with the launch, but now customers know how to find us. The market is showing an upward trend, both in retail and in specialised organic shops. Consumers are really choosing organic again and we are seeing this in several countries.”
The company has now invested in its own organic mango farm in Peru, where it will grow Kent mangoes on around 20 hectares of land. “We expect the first mangoes in December,” says Roelant. “With our own production, we offer ourselves an important basis for product availability and are less dependent on others. Last year we saw how important this is with mangoes, and for this reason we also started growing our own organic ginger elsewhere in Peru. We expect the first harvest in mid-2025.”
For more information:
Roelant Komen
BeFair Bio BV
Poeldijk
Phone: +31 (0)61907 5650
E-mail: (email protected)
