After nearly a year and a half of lock down coupled with Brexit the fresh produce trade is still a tough game, even with the reopening of hospitality, many in the trade are seeing the ongoing repercussions.
“Last year at the start of the lockdown it was easier to get fruit than it is now,” said Chris Fagg from Freshpro Imports. “As a small company we don’t try to compete with the big companies instead we try to find a point of difference with high quality premium and niche products.”
But Chris explains that niche products are more difficult to get these days, “This could be as a consequence of Brexit as the small European growers are finding it difficult to ship small orders, groupage is still very complicated and costs have increased, also products from outside Europe are subject to additional duty tariffs, where as before you could just ship them over from Holland – it is not that easy anymore.”
A new line which Freshpro have just started is in UK berries. “We have raspberries, gooseberries, red and black currents and blueberries and are packing them to fill bespoke orders and mixed packs. We pack and deliver premium berries 7 days a week in our own Freshpro brand specifically to our clients daily requirements across the whole of the UK, we will then will move back to imported fruit once the UK seasons has finished. We also have limited volumes of UK strawberries throughout the season for several of our wholesale/catering clients.”
Green gooseberries started 2 weeks ago and should run until early August, Red/dessert gooseberries should start next week and are only available generally for one month. Blueberries will start this week and run until mid-September. Raspberries will also start this week and will go through until mid-September. Red currants and black currents start early July through to early September.
FreshPro are looking to import more products directly from the Southern Hemisphere. “As a small company we change and adapt very quickly to the market. We have been importing premium plums from South Africa this year and will look at other products such as apples, citrus and pears in the future.”
FreshPro Imports supplies select wholesalers and specialist grocery shops, with premium fruit and bespoke orders.