Quinces,
pomegranates as well as pointed peppers characterize the current range of Turkish products. "One truck of pomegranates per week will sell without any problems. In view of the current market prices, we cannot complain at all," says Vahit Can, managing director, and stand manager of Pina and Öztürkuaz Ltd at the Düsseldorf wholesale market. "However, we are troubled by the high procurement costs of Turkish goods, with additional costs of up to 50 percent. The logistics costs per truck have sometimes risen from about 4,000 to 5,800 euros."
Top right: Turkish pomegranates of the Hicaz variety
Pina Ltd has been based at the local Düsseldorf wholesale market for ten years now. Its customers mainly include specialist retailers as well as Turkish branch networks. "Due to the high quality, there tends to be more shelf space for Turkish goods in mainstream food retailers as well. A good example of this is the pointed peppers, which can be procured all year round from various growing regions in Turkey and are increasingly being taken as a barbecue side dish, especially in summer," Can says about the upward trend.
"We ourselves rely mainly on Antalya, as the product has a better shelf life compared to Mersin or Bursa. The goods are ultimately more expensive by €1-2 /box, but this extra price can be justified," the wholesaler adds.
Quinces of the Esme variety can usually be found in specialized stores between November and March.
Along with peppers, tomatoes are a perennial favorite in the Pina assortment, he adds. "Interestingly, we have sold relatively few Spanish and Turkish tomatoes so far, as we have been able to consistently serve ourselves with Princess and Elite of Belgian origin, which in turn are highly popular with customers. Despite the increase in energy prices that greenhouse cultivation has to contend with, wholesale prices have been okay so far.
The Pina Ltd stand team with Mr. Can on the right.
For more information:
Vahit Can
Pina GmbH / Oztürkuaz GmbH
Großmarkt Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49 0211 163 97 672
oertuerkuazhandel@gmail.com
oeztuerkuaz.com