The first Turkish vine tomatoes have arrived once again at P. Seelen. This Venlo-based trading company has been importing Turkish vine tomatoes for 15 years and is seeing increased customer demand, FreshPlaza informs. “This year, we’re also going to try sourcing loose tomatoes from Turkey for the first time,” says Jeroen Hendrix, who joined P. Seelen through Hendrix Fruit & Vegetables this summer and has since been operating as general manager.
“Turkish tomato cultivation is on the rise. In the past, Spain was the undisputed tomato supplier in winter, but that country is now struggling with higher minimum wages and water shortages. Turkey is well-positioned to respond to this. The route from Turkey can be bridged in just six days, and the quality of Turkish vine tomatoes has improved significantly in recent years. Virtually all our suppliers are expanding their cultivation. In Turkey, tomatoes are often grown in modern plastic greenhouses, but glass greenhouses are also becoming more popular. We’re also seeing an increase in disease-resistant varieties in Turkey,” says Jeroen.
“We’re seeing strong demand for Turkish vine tomatoes, especially from Germany and Eastern Europe. However, we can supply European retail with these vine tomatoes just fine. For instance, we’re also receiving more interest from the UK. All our Turkish suppliers are GlobalGAP and GRASP certified, and most are also Sedex/SMETA certified. Eurofins analyze all shipments, and we only work with regular transporters. We can load tomatoes from Venlo to various destinations, and even send half-truckloads from Turkey directly to end customers, which gives them a notable transport advantage,” explains Jeroen.
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“Cultivation in Turkey is going well, and volumes will gradually increase again. Depending on the price and quality, we typically offer Turkish tomatoes until April,” Jeroen says. Besides the trial of loose tomatoes, this year, the P. Seelen/Hendrix Fruit & Vegetables partnership will also receive a broader range of Turkish products, including quinces, pomegranates, figs, and lemons. Before the season begins, we always personally visit our regular producers. We see a bright future in Turkish imports,” concludes a satisfied Jeroen.
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