The Chinese market represents a massive opportunity for European fruit exporters, according to Marc Evrard of pear producer Belgische Fruitveiling (BFV).
The Belgium-based supplier started shipping pears into mainland China 18 months ago and Evrard claims the Chinese market now accounts for around 5 per cent of the company’s overall exports.
Speaking at this year’s Cool Logistics, held in Antwerp last week, Evrard spoke of the challenges European fresh produce companies can expect when first entering the Asian market.
“The appearance of our Conference pears didn’t initially work with the Chinese public so we had to host in-store promotions and meet with Chinese supermarket buyers to convince them of our varieties’ taste; we now fully expect our business in China to grow and grow,” he said.
This year’s Cool Logistics welcomed over 200 experts from various parts of the perishable produce chain.
