Although a bout of heavy rainfall in the regions of Izmir and Cannakale may have put paid to hopes for a smooth start to the Turkish cherry season, exporters and importers alike are in buoyant mood and confident the remainder of the summer will pan out according to plan.
Richard Isaacs, general manager of UK exotics importer Utopia, explains that although the beginning of the season has been “difficult and challenging”, the firm’s exclusive Turkish cherry supplier, Alara, has managed to keep things on an even keel. “Pre-harvest rainfall in early regions means they have had to be very careful with packing at source and slow things down a bit,” he says. “The quality of raw material arriving at the packhouse has been affected, and wastage levels have been higher, but the job is still getting done in terms of maintaining supply.”
Alara ceo Kerim Taner explains to FPJ: “In order to sustain the quality of fruit in every individual pack we export, our selection process is extremely tough. We expect to have better quality raw material from the Afyon and Isparta regions, which will come on line in time to hit the market in July.”
Average fruit size at the moment is smaller than normal due to a dry winter with less chilling hours, says Taner, but this situation will turn around as fruit from the later regions, which has spent longer on the tree, comes to market.
Mete Guneyhan of exporter Guneyhan Marketing Ltd explains that there is already 400 tonnes of fruit on his trees, a figure he believes could potentially reach 2,000t by the end of the season. “Every year we increase our acreage, so by the end of the season we will have a clearer idea on volume,” he says. The firm sources from 150-200 growers across Turkey and also operates its own plantations, which account for 25-30 per cent of its total volume.
“High levels of sunshine and light rainfall mean that this season we will be supplying slightly greater volumes than we did in 2006; perhaps 10 per cent more,” says Guneyhan. “We started harvesting fruit in the first week of May in the Izmir region, and are now sourcing from other parts of Turkey, including Afyon and Antalya.”
Alara is looking for a 40 per cent increase in export volume this season, to some 10,000t. “Supplies kicked off earlier this summer than they did last year and the season is due to last longer,” says Taner.
Utopia will be bringing Alara cherries into the UK until the third week of August, an extension of the traditional season that only Alara can achieve, thanks to its later-flowering Eskisehir orchard, situated at an altitude of 1,500m. “Alara has invested heavily in frost protection technology, namely wind turbines, and as a result can extend the shoulders of the traditional Turkish cherry season beyond the third week of July,” says Isaacs. “The reasoning behind extending the season is to take away shelf space from Washington cherry suppliers, who are the main source of competition.”
Cherries are grown across complementary production regions in Turkey, prolonging the season for up to 12 weeks during the summer. “This means that if we have a problem in one region, there is always another location ready to step in and plug any supply gaps,” explains Taner. “Lots of high-density cherry orchards have been planted in the last few years.”
In a bid to start supplying cherries either side of the Turkish season, Alara has also set up growing operations in Argentina, known as Rio Alara, and as a result is able to provide product for eight months a year. “We are looking at other origins and variety development. Our ultimate aim would be to supply the right quality cherries all year round,” adds Taner.
Guneyhan believes that new grower technology in Turkey is really pushing the boundaries in terms of fruit quality. “We have our own packhouse in Turkey, with hydro-cooling facilities that keep the cherries very fresh,” he says. “Our growers are very aware of the standards that they must live up to if they wish to supply Europe and the UK. At the end of the day, we are always very ambitious and continually looking to increase both quality and quantity.”
Exporters have always traditionally seen the UK as a lucrative outlet for Turkey’s Ziraat cherry, also known as the Napoleon variety. It is the main cultivar grown in the country.
Guneyhan supplies 80 per cent of its cherries to the European market, of which some 10-15 per cent goes to the UK. “The UK is a good market for our fruit; clients demand high quality but are also prepared to pay for it,” he says. “This season, we are looking to increase the volume we send to the UK to 25 per cent of our total European supplies.”
UK clients demand fruit both in punnets and in loose volumes, according to Guneyhan, and his firm has the capacity to supply cherries in both formats, depending on specific needs. “While wholesalers favour loose product, the multiples tend to like it packed in punnets,” he says. “Our product is very popular in the UK because of its very sweet flavour and dark colour, and has established a firm reputation with consumers. Once someone has bought a punnet of Napoleon cherries, chances are they will then repurchase, and this trend definitely helps boost sales.”
Alara has been supplying the UK for more than 20 years, and the country is today its primary market. “Our infrastructure, personnel structure, organisation, systems and culture have all been established with a view to being a strong UK supplier,” comments Taner.
Alara sends 50 per cent of its product to the UK, and according to Taner the firm holds as much market share as total US cherry supply into the UK.
But Utopia, which has worked exclusively with Alara for 10 years, believes demand for cherries is slightly down at the moment due to adverse weather conditions. “As with salads and strawberries, demand for cherries in the UK is highly dependent on the weather,” says Isaacs. “When the sun shines, consumers are far more likely to pick up a punnet of cherries than when it is wet or cold. They really are an impulse purchase.”
Utopia and Alara together focus on the UK retail market, supplying product in punnets and plastic bags to Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Asda, Costco and Budgens.
“This year we are also sending Alara cherries to importer Mack, which in turn is supplying Sainsbury’s and Somerfield,” says Isaacs.
Up to Wednesday last week, Alara, and therefore Utopia, had supplied 48 per cent of the Turkish cherries coming into the UK. Hopes for the season are running high, with Utopia expecting to bring an overall 3,500-4,000t of product to the UK. “Although the initial supply situation has been tricky, there is still 90 per cent of the season left to go, so expectations are that overall volumes will actually be up on 2006, which was in itself a spanking year,” says Isaacs. He believes that the best way to shift higher volumes of cherries is to ensure the quality is perfect, the fruit is visibly displayed in store and that price promotions offer good value for money to the consumer.
But the UK market should not rest on its laurels. Taner believes that over the last few years, mainland Europe has also become an attractive prospect for cherry exporters, for a number of reasons.
“The higher quality standards, additional certification requirements, extra selection costs, extra labour costs and additional transport expenses needed to supply the UK mean that the cost of sending product here is dramatically higher than to other European retailers,” says Taner. Germany remains the largest importer of total Turkish cherry volumes, with the UK market absorbing 10-15 per cent of supplies, depending on the year. Russia has also rapidly become a booming market for Turkish cherries, increasing its imports by 100 per cent in 2006.
“European retailers have started to realise the sales potential of good-quality cherries in their stores. Returns from Europe this year are very similar to those from the UK, and in some cases, even better,” adds Taner.
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