Fresh fruit and vegetables are more popular in Europe than ever before – particularly organic alternatives. The reason: a growing public awareness of the importance of healthy eating and an increasing trend to avoid meat and animal products.
There also is a flourishing demand for exotic fruit. More and more Europeans are cooking lavish dishes at home and experimenting with new cuisines. Inspired by long-haul travel and the multitude of TV cooking shows, millions of hobby chefs are keen to try ingredients from far-flung countries.
This is why there is a constant high demand for fresh fruit and vegetables but also fresh herbs in Europe. That is your sustainability guarantee.
Europe’s consumers and importers want quality and transparent proof of origin. For this reason GlobalG.A.P. certification - one of the most important European standards for sustainable production and high food safety - is a must for exporters of fresh fruit and vegetables.
You are not yet certified in line with GLOBALG.A.P.? If you meet the IPD programme criteria, we will support you in this process thus paving your way to deliver your fresh fruit and vegetables to the European market.
The IPD supports producers of both organic and conventionally grown fruit and vegetables, specifically:
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Natural ingredients
(Colombia)
Fresh fruit and vegetables
(Colombia, Ecuador)
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Fresh fruit and vegetables
(Egypt, Ethiopia, Peru)
Cut flowers
(Ethiopia)
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Natural ingredients
(Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia)
Fresh fruit and vegetables
(Tunisia)
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Technical Wood
(Ecuador, Peru)
Fresh fruit and vegetables
(Ghana)
BULLETIN BOARD »FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES«
Consumer demand for fresh vegetables, combined with trends for convenience, consumer experience and innovation, has led to a new segment for luxury fresh vegetables: baby vegetables. The German market offers opportunities for baby carrots (as a snack), baby courgettes (used in Mediterranean cuisine) and baby corn (for Asian stir-fry dishes).
Beans and pulses are among commonly eaten vegetables in Germany. Try to add value to these commodity products to differentiate yourself on the market, for example with storytelling and employing social and environmental practices. Target the German market in the long off-season in European production (October – June).
Imports of fresh berries into the European market from developing countries have doubled over the past five years. Berries are increasingly offered as a convenient and healthy snack, seducing shoppers into buying them. Although many berries are grown in Europe itself, demand is much higher than European production and imports from developing countries are filling in the gap.
The European market for exotic roots and tubers is small but growing. Cassava and yams are the biggest sellers. Volumes of taro, yautia or malanga and other roots that are less well known in the European market, are still very small. The main market are ethnic food shops and restaurants, but increasing interest in exotic vegetables and stimulating consumer awareness of the culinary possibilities can help develop the market channels for exotic roots and tubers.
The Union of Cooperatives Meki Batu from Ethiopia is to exhibit for the first time at Berlin’s “Fruit Logistica”
in February 2017. For two years, the Import Promotion Desk has been working intensely with the union – which
comprises over 8,000 Ethiopian farmers – to prepare them for the exhibition debut. For Meki Batu Union, participating in the exhibition is a decisive step in their strategic plan to enter the German and European markets and establish long-term trade relations.
Klaus Böcker GmbH is an importer of exotic fruit products. Its portfolio comprises fruit juice, paste and concentrate from more than 500 kinds of fruit in more than 500 specifications. To continually expand its range of products, the company is always on the look-out for new suppliers. For this reason, Klaus Böcker GmbH turned to the Import Promotion Desk (IPD) – and made a catch: The IPD provided the German importer with a new trade partner in Egypt.
