Bristol has discovered its taste for dragon fruit this week, thanks to a bold initiative by local wholesaler Bristol Fruit Sales.
BFS received a container of 1,250 boxes of the Vietnamese fruit at 9am on Tuesday morning and by close of play on Wednesday only 22 boxes were left unsold. A normal week’s sales amount to four boxes.
Sales manager David Foster said the speed of sales had caught even him by surprise, but that they are the result of six months of extensive groundwork. “BFS has been working with a newly established company Dragon Fruit Direct (DFD), which works with 11 dragon fruit growers in the Binhthuan province of Vietnam,” he told FPJ. “We carried out research with some of our suppliers and clients, and it became clear that there is a big demand for dragon fruit year-round. So I took the plunge and ordered the consignment - the response has been fantastic.”
There is a five-week lead time between ordering the fruit and its arrival, and it has a 16-day shelf life once sold by BFS, which has an exclusive distribution deal with DFD for the south west of England.
“The fruit we are bringing in is 450g, which is significantly bigger than the fruit we normally sell. But within 15 minutes of it arriving, we had sold 650 boxes, and we have already ordered another consignment - there is obviously more mileage in this,” said Foster.
He added that BFS has created “a bit of theatre around the fruit”. A usage leaflet is sent out with every piece of fruit sold and the restaurants that come up with the best starter, main course and dessert including dragon fruit will receive a bottle of champagne each. Local children are also being encouraged to send in stories featuring dragon fruit - the best will win £50.
Foster said: “It is very easy to get caught up in the trade being quiet and the weather being against us, but it is up to us to kick start it. I believe we have to sell both ourselves and the product, and if there were medals being handed out for sales in Bristol this week, I think we’d take gold, silver and bronze.”
