Hillfresh International has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Spain’s biggest private persimmon producer to supply the fruit to its worldwide customers.
Pieter de Jong, director of the Dutch company, said the deal with Agricola Antoluz would guarantee supplies and create new export opportunities, combining the production know-how of the grower with Hillfresh’s marketing expertise to establish an international platform to develop sales.
“The strategic partnership strengthens the cooperation between Hillfresh and Agricola Antoluz and offers the market a fresh supply of delicious kaki fruit,” he said. “Due to this agreement, Hillfresh will be able to provide kaki fruit to the market with an excellent quality and service.”
The first volumes will be available on the market from mid-October.
Spanish persimmon production has risen sharply in recent years as demand for the brightly coloured fruit continues to climb and this is fuelling a push into new export markets.
More than 12m persimmons were sold in the UK in the 2012/13 season. This represents growth of around 125 per cent on the previous season. In total, Spanish persimmon production reached 90,000 tonnes last year.
