Moroccan grower Delassus serves high end UAE market

Moroccan greenhouse grower Delassus is currently working on the development of new tomato varieties in different colors. For the last two years, Delassus' R & D department has been researching over 300 different small tomato varieties. They've selected 23 very promising types of small tomatoes, and plan to offer these starting this winter.

"In order to provide a good product, we need to take great care in the picking process. Bright red tomatoes are sent to the UK, while less ripe tomatoes are picked for markets that have a longer transit time, like Russia. During transit, the tomatoes will ripen to a degree that works best with the destined market," says Sales and Marketing Director Fatiha Charrat.


Delassus CEO Kacim Bennani-Smires with Sales and Mktng. Dir. Fatiha Charrat

Another major market for Delassus is the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Charrat said that this market has more emphasis on exclusivity and high quality. Dubai consumers have a large disposable income, which means that supermarkets in this region go to extra lengths to draw attention. For Delassus, this means that produce for Dubai needs specialized packaging.

The market in general has been favorable for Moroccan companies. Russia still has an embargo on most European products. While Dutch tomatoes usually would have been a major competitor for Moroccan suppliers, the trade ban has eliminated the Netherlands as a competitor for Russia. Other potential competitors like Turkey and Egypt still haven’t quite mustered the cultivation of cherry tomatoes.

Charrat also mentioned that Delassus is starting a trial season with bell peppers, by producing very small volumes meant for the UK and Russia.