This article was amended on 14 December 2017. Previously, it suggested that Landgard had acquired two onion suppliers in New Zealand, which is not the case.
German group Landgard has expanded its onion and garlic sourcing with the addition of three new suppliers, one in Italy and two in New Zealand.
Duoccio, a garlic and onion producer based in northern Italy, has become the latest company to join the cooperative, bringing the number of members in the country to more than 30.
Meanwhile, Landgard has also announced it will source onions from two suppliers in New Zealand as part of a continued effort to expand its international procurement business.
The two new suppliers are New Zealand Growers, which has locations in the Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Canterbury regions, and Southern Fresh Produce, known more commonly as SoFresh, which produces onions around Auckland and in Canterbury.
SoFresh also produce carrots close to Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand's North Island, near the southern end of the Tongariro National Park south of Lake Taupo.
Worldwide, Landgard has around 3,300 members, of which the majority (2,600) are in Germany itself.
However, in recent years it has made a deliberate attempt to become more international, with its production base now including the Netherlands (280 members), China (130), Denmark (96), Israel (35), Italy (30) and Spain (30).
Commenting on the strategy, Landgard said it expected to meet its customers’ requirements in future by sourcing more fresh producer from countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil and South Africa.
Those products are likely to include bananas, pears, table grapes, mangos, avocados and melons.
