Fruitnet

Dr Manuel Madrid has worked for some of the biggest businesses in the fresh produce industry – Syngenta, Driscoll’s, SanLucar and Chiquita to name four giants of the trade – but for more than a decade now he has been running his own consultancy, Fruit Profits. Now, as he reveals in the latest episode of Fruitnet’s conversation series Fruitbox, he’s preparing to relocate from Valencia in Spain to a new base in Costa Rica, from where he will work with a number of fruit companies to help them grow and improve their business. Top of his list, especially for those banana and pineapple companies in the region that face rising costs and diminishing returns, will be to help them identify new ways to secure more value in their supply chains – by introducing better techniques and technology, by switching from traditional crops to higher-value items like mangoes, papayas, avocados or berries, or perhaps even by exploring new markets in other parts of the world. “I think we need to change the model for agriculture and

Andriy Yarmak, economist at the United Nations FAO Investment Centre, spends a large part of his time monitoring developments in central Asia’s fresh produce business. As Yarmak explains in the latest episode of Fruitbox, recent developments in countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reflect a growing interest in the region as a potentially global source of fruits and vegetables. Last year, for example, German buyers purchased fresh table grapes and persimmons from this part of the world, while the UK took a small but significant volume of sweet cherries from Uzbekistan. China too is actively looking to source more from central Asia, Yarmak notes, and even though Russia remains the dominant buyer in the region, it’s clear that these countries are going to play a bigger role in the international fruit and veg market in years to come. “They’re important because they are among the top global players already, and many people don’t realise it,” Yarmak tells Fr

FPJ Stories is the talkshow series in which contributing editor Michael Barker chats in depth to leading industry figures about their life, career, inspirations and hobbies. Inspired by the hugely popular Life Stories segment at FPJ Live, this video and podcast series gives unique access into the worlds of some of the most charismatic and fascinating figures working in the fresh produce industry today. In Episode Two, Michael talks to outgoing Groceries Code Adjudicator Christine Tacon about her years transforming relations between suppliers and supermarkets, her views on the future of the food industry and what more can be done to help the next generation of fresh produce professionals realise their dreams. She also talks about some fascinating personal interests, a successful sporting sibling and what she plans to do next. www.fpj.co.uk Music: Welcome to the Show by Kevin MacLeod Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4614-we…-to-the-show License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Ksenia Gorovaya, managing director of St Petersburg-based Crisp Consulting, was in the eye of the storm in the summer of 2014, when Russia decided to ban a range of food imports – including fresh fruit and vegetables – from the EU, US, Australia, Norway and Canada. Six years on, with the blockade still very much in place, she talks to Chris White about the ongoing impact of that decision on the country’s fresh produce import business, part of which has refocused on the former Soviet republics as well as places like Iran, and also on its local, domestic supply. “Russia still imports quite a lot, but crops that can be grown locally are gaining more share on retail shelves,” she reveals in the latest episode of Fruitbox. “For example sufficiency for potato production is close to 95 per cent.” Russia’s self-sufficiency in the commercial tomato sector, she adds, expanded from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Within the past five years, about 1,000ha of greenhouses were launched both by the governmental and private i

Fruitbox speaks to Steven Roberts and Annelies Blaauwkamer of Rijk Zwaan, founders of the Love My Salad campaign, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in August. Designed as a way to inspire and engage with consumers in an age of social media, Love My Salad has aimed to build up a positive image of vegetables among consumers, rather than building a more traditional message around the idea that doing so should be compulsory. The project now operates in more than 20 countries worldwide as well as 14 different languages, encouraging more than 4m people every year to see vegetables differently and be inspired to eat more of them as a result. “We wanted to create a positive image for vegetables, a place where people could share knowledge and inspiration, and essentially create, share and enjoy them every day,” says Roberts. As Blaauwkamer explains, the public perception of vegetables has changed very much for the better in the past ten years. “Food consumption in general is changing and I think vegetables ca

Uri Krieger’s roots go deep when it comes to developing new types of vegetable. Recently appointed as global head of vegetables and flowers R&D at Syngenta, he says he’s determined to use his background in plant breeding to overcome public scepticism about genetics and, even more crucially, to help growers produce more and better crops with greater efficiency. “By 2050, the world population will be around 30 per cent higher, at about 10bn, so demand for food is expected to grow,” Krieger tells Fruitnet's Chris White in the latest edition of Fruitbox. “We’re going to have many more people and increased consumption.” At the same time, producers need to know that the vegetables they grow in future can cope with changes in climate, he insists. “We have to find ways to grow our food more efficiently, [because] at the same time the amount of resources available, like water and soil, have either stayed flat or in some cases have been reduced.” He adds: “Our challenge as an industry is to find a sustainable soluti

Phil Lempert believes many supermarkets were selling fresh fruit and vegetables wrong even before the coronavirus pandemic began. Now, with the crisis causing dramatic changes to the entire food distribution business, he thinks a radical overhaul of the supermarket format is coming, while foodservice outlets could see new opportunities to offer consumers an attractive alternative place to buy their fresh produce. Lempert certainly knows a thing or two about what makes supermarkets tick, not to mention where they need to improve. Known to many as the SupermarketGuru, he makes regular appearances talking about grocery trends on CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox News and even the Oprah Winfrey show. Speaking to Chris White in the latest episode of Fruitnet’s conversation series Fruitbox, Lempert casts a critical eye over supermarket fresh produce departments, explains where they can improve, and considers what the supermarket of the future will look like. He also comments on the rise and predicted fall of retail’s answer to

Barbara Bray MBE, a nutritionist and food safety consultant, noticed something strange going on as the coronavirus crisis began to take hold in Europe. Google data showed that searches for the words immunity and veg were much higher than usual. In the latest episode of Fruitbox, Fruitnet’s series of conversations about the fresh fruit and vegetable business, Bray joins host Chris White to discuss the potential lasting effects of lockdown and the pandemic on our diets. As consumers, for example, are we eating more healthy products, more unhealthy snack products, or in fact both? And what happens in the longer term if, as expected, spending power decreases? How accessible will healthy eating be for the estimated 820m people worldwide who are already undernourished or the two billion adults around the globe who are reckoned to be obese? And could concerns over future food supply cause ripples of tension in domestic politics or international trade? “Before the pandemic we ate out a lot and ate a lot food on th

As the coronavirus outbreak pushes the world towards a very different kind of recession, Joe Shaw Roberts of consumer research company Kantar looks at how consumers are responding to the crisis and considers what lasting impact it is having on the way people buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Speaking on the latest episode of Fruitbox, Fruitnet’s series of fresh produce industry conversations, Shaw Roberts explains how the pandemic is reshaping the market and driving important consumer trends to do with health, convenience, organics, local sourcing, discounting, online shopping and home delivery services. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry. To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email chris@fruitnet.com. To learn about spo

Matt Hancock and Will Wolmer both see huge opportunities to grow the market for cherries. The managing directors respectively of British cherry importer and distributor Norton Folgate and Hampshire-based producer Blackmoor Estate speak to Chris White during the latest episode of Fruitnet’s conversation series Fruitbox. They admit that achieving the potential growth they can see ahead will depend on them effectively managing one of the most volatile product categories in the fresh produce business, as well as finding a way to have fruit in the market all year round. Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry. To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email chris@fruitnet.com. To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email advertising@fruitnet.com

José Antonio Gómez, managing director of Peruvian company Camposol, is overseeing a significant transformation, one that could offer inspiration for other fresh produce suppliers hoping to future-proof their own business. As supermarkets look for even more dependable and more efficient procurement of fresh fruit and vegetables, Camposol is expanding its supply base beyond Peru so it can provide customers with year-round supply of key items like avocados and blueberries from multiple sources. “Most supermarkets that we serve are looking for a supplier [to which] they can assign a distribution centre year round and forget about looking for other suppliers. It comes really from them,” he explains in the latest episode of Fruitbox, Fruitnet’s bi-weekly conversation series. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the

Tonie Fuchs is a firm believer in the power of premium. As managing director of South Africa’s Capespan Group, he says a commitment to top-quality products and the best levels of service is the right way forward as the company attempts to sustain growth in fruit markets all across the world. “We want to be important to a few customers and not just go and dump volumes of produce in those markets, because we’ve also seen how quickly those markets can turn against you when an industry and a certain supply region just goes and dumps a load of product into those markets,” Fuchs comments in the episode of Fruitbox, Fruitnet’s series of conversations with fresh produce industry leaders. “For us it’s [about] very selective, premium customers with whom we can build a long-term relationship from multiple supply regions in a wider basket of fruit.” Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interview

Jan Doldersum, chain and retail manager at Dutch vegetable breeding and seed production company Rijk Zwaan, believes the concept of local is increasingly resonating with consumers. That’s not just because more of them want to eat fresh produce that has been produced a shorter distance away, but also because buying those items from somewhere closer to home, or having them delivered along a shorter distribution chain, has become more convenient and therefore more appealing. It’s a trend that was already in motion prior to the coronavirus outbreak, he says, but one that has also been accelerated by the pandemic. “In countries like Germany, UK, Switzerland and Austria we already saw before the corona crisis a trend towards more domestic production,” Doldersum tells Fruitnet’s Chris White in the latest episode of the conversation series Fruitbox. “This of course has a huge impact for export countries like Holland and Spain.” During the interview, Doldersum discusses the impact of coronavirus on the vegetable m

Chris Groot is produce chain manager at breeding company Enza Zaden, one of only a handful of companies around the world that is developing the vegetables of tomorrow. As he explains in the latest edition of Fruitbox, Fruitnet’s series of conversations with leading members of the international fresh produce business, the outlook for these companies looks bright, especially with more and more consumers seeking out healthier and more nutritious diets. However, there are major challenges too in creating new products to satisfy that demand. In particular, developing new varieties that meet the requirements of consumers, retailers and growers alike means the whole process is far more complicated these days. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce indus

Alk Brand is the chief executive officer of South African company Westfalia, the world’s largest avocado grower and a major supplier of several different kinds of fresh fruit. Giving his first interview in his new role, Alk talks exclusively to Fruitnet’s Chris White about the recent spike in sales of avocados, the company’s plans to expand its production worldwide, the potential for further growth in demand as consumer interest in healthy eating rises, and the need to keep improving when it comes to environmental sustainability and ethical sourcing. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry. To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email chris@fruitnet.com. To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email adverti

Monica Bratuti of New Zealand-owned fresh produce marketing business Turners International explains how avocados’ versatility, combined with a relative lack of market penetration in some of the world’s major consumer markets, means there is still ample room for growth in sales worldwide. “It’s not only that it’s a healthy fruit, but it’s also a very generous fruit that allows you to never stop learning new ways to eat it or drink it or use it,” she comments in the latest episode of Fruitbox. When it comes to potential market growth, she says, future expansion for the avocado category will definitely be seen in parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. But there are some clouds on the horizon, not least because of apparent oversupply at certain times of the year. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show i

Tarun Arora, director of Mumbai-based importer IG International, is certain that establishing the right kind of logistic network over the past five decades has enabled the company to achieve “outstanding” growth in a market as enormous and daunting as India. Now, the company is investing in local production of emerging products like blueberries as well as ramping up its ecommerce business with the launch of a new ordering app. In the latest episode of Fruitnet’s interview series Fruitbox, Arora explains how a company that is marking its 50th anniversary this year is managing to remain at the cutting edge of consumer and retail trends. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry. To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email chris@

Julie Escobar, co-founder of industry association Global Women Fresh, believes the entire fresh produce business has a vital role to play in creating better opportunities for women across the world. Speaking in the latest episode of Fruitnet’s interview series Fruitbox, Escobar talks about the organisation’s ambitious plans to inspire and empower women during the months and years ahead. Established in 2019 to connect, inspire and empower women in the fresh produce business worldwide. the organisation is now working with the United Nations to empower 3m women, mainly in under-developed economies of Africa and Asia, by 2021. A recent project established in Kenya, for example, as part of the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades initiative is helping female entrepreneurs develop production and exports of fresh avocados. “So far we have provided one-on-one business coaching to more than 50 small businesses in Africa,” Escobar reveals. “We also just completed a set of webinars where we educated 200 women on

Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, is ready to lead a major marketing push for the United States’ largest apple export deal having secured a 50 per cent increase in the group’s annual promotional budget from US$8m to $12m. Speaking in the latest edition of Fruitnet’s interview series Fruitbox, Fryhover predicts that, during the next 12 months, producers will continue to ramp up production of new varieties and will also keep targeting a number of promising international markets. He also talks about the meteoric rise of new variety Cosmic Crisp, as well as commenting on plans to sell more in markets like China, Vietnam and Indonesia, challenges associated with trade disputes and coronavirus, and the need to use social media more in order to reach consumers. Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media Interna

Soren Bjorn, president of leading berry brand Driscoll’s, believes the development of year-round supply in the soft category offers important lessons for everyone in the fresh fruit and vegetable business. Speaking in the latest episode of Fruitnet’s interview series Fruitbox, Bjorn explains how the berry category has not only benefited from being right on trend as far as flavour, health and convenience are concerned, but has generally succeeded in offering the right quality all through the year, rather than only in peak seasons. That lack of quality is not always evident in other categories, notably stonefruit, he argues. "A lot of times, the first thing a consumer tries is those really early peaches from somewhere where you really shouldn't grow peaches and that just don't taste of anything,” he comments. “And by the time you get to the really good peaches in the middle of summer, the consumers have already left the category. I think the berry category has generally done a better job.” That’s not to say