The import season of Peruvian berries is currently characterised by a strong market. “We received the first container on 20 August and were surprised by the good market conditions,” says Jan Marc Schulz of SFI Rotterdam. “The Polish season ended early, and many importers were not prepared for this. This caused a run on overseas berries.”

For SFI, this prompted the company to also import berries from Peru via air freight last week. “Normally, we are reluctant to do this because of the high costs and CO2 footprint, but the current market situation calls for increasing volume,” Jan Marc says. “Meanwhile, we are seeing some more congestion in air freight, which shows that more players are switching from containers to air freight.”

© SFI Rotterdam

“Last weekend, berry growth in Peru was still slow due to the cold weather there. Therefore, the market is not expected to change quickly in September. Enquiries from European supermarkets are high. Almost all European supermarkets want or have already switched to overseas berries,” says Jan Marc. In addition, SFI imports blueberries from Argentina. “From there, air freight rates are even a bit friendlier, so we can be very competitive in the market.”

Blueberry prices are at a good level. “A tray of 17 mm+ berries is now easily sold for €18 per carton,” the importer says. “We hope that Peru can distribute its supply evenly between the different markets and throughout the season, as a situation with peak supply like two years ago is definitely not good for the market.”

There is no special demand for premium varieties at the moment, says Jan Marc. “In a shortage situation, nobody asks for them; then it is enough if it is a blueberry. Soon, when we get back into a situation with more supply, everyone will start looking for the thickest and sweetest varieties again.”

For more information:
Jan Marc Schulz
SFI Rotterdam
Mercuriusweg 12B
3113 AR Schiedam
[email protected]
www.sfifruit.com