Turkish pineapple imports growing steadily

Verita Costa Rica has launched a new pineapple campaign under the slogan "You name it, We do it." at Fruit Logistica Berlin 2015. Worldwide Customers were given the opportunity to promote their own brand on the pineapples, meeting the specifications of a particular market.

Turkey is, by far, the most important market for the company, followed by Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Verita supplies nearly all major Turkish retailers with pineapples and volumes have increased considerably in recent years. Mert Büke, of the Dutch trader Verita Holland  explains : "Ten years ago, Turkey consumed annually twelve containers at most; now it has become hundreds. We even supply pineapple peelers to the Turkish retailers and that has resulted in a boost in consumption over the years. For sliced pineapples, the crown is unnecessary. You cannot fill a container with just crownless pineapples because of the maximum weight limits, but by mixing a container, there is a lot of potential."

Besides pineapples, Verita also delivers other fruits and vegetables to the Turkish market. The first Kiwi brand of Turkey is Verita, and also has the largest share in Turkey’s tropical and exotic fruits and vegetables market. "When market needs apply, we export Spanish iceberg lettuce to Turkey via Holland," says Mert. Since last year, the company has been very active on social media to inform about exotic fruits and vegetables, with recipes on how to use them, and to organise promotions. "It is educational and people like it. In our industry, the use of social media is not so common, but we see the benefits. Many Turks don’t know about the use of ginger or granadilla; through social media, we can lend them a hand."  Verita and Prochile organised a Blueberry campaign in 2014, and another campaign with Procolombia was for passion fruit. Turkish consumers tasted fruits, got recipes and enjoyed different activities during campaigns. And this month Verita will launch a new campaign for Ready to eat Mango with Peru trade office.

Under the Verita brand, the company also supplies fresh sliced fruits and mix salads to the Turkish supermarkets. "The unique thing about our company is that we control the entire chain. Verita Garden is our own production company in Turkey, with more than 100 hectares where apples, pears and grapes are grown; for the kiwis, we work with associated producers. Additionally, Verita Costa Rica runs a boutique pineapple farm, though it is unable to meet the total demand," explains Mert. From the Netherlands, a mixed trucks depart weekly with Dutch and imported produce to Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia. "Rotterdam is the hub for European imports; therefore, we can offer added value from here," concludes Mert.