Demand for Kenyan sugar snaps, snow peas, and bush beans is likely to increase steadily as the Christmas season approaches, says Stella Rasmussen, a specialist importer and managing director of the company of the same name with locations in Meerbusch, Germany, and Kenya. "Current supply volumes are consistently strong and stable, and quality is equally reliable. Prices are reasonable and slightly below last year's levels."
Looking back, the season for peas and legumes has been well-balanced so far. "We have not seen any significant fluctuations – neither upward nor downward. Supply has been stable throughout. This is in stark contrast to last year, when severe flooding caused significant crop losses and led to corresponding price increases," recalls Rasmussen (FreshPlaza reported). She also considers the current air freight situation to be positive: "Cargo space capacities are readily available, and rates are largely stable. Air freight charges usually rise gradually in the run-up to Christmas due to higher demand. This is also to be expected this year."
© Stella Rasmussen GmbH
Red Birds chili and legumes of Kenyan origin
Strong demand for Kenyan passion fruit
Founded in 2018, Stella Rasmussen GmbH focuses primarily on the procurement and marketing of premium vegetables from Kenya, with a core range of sugar snaps, snow peas, and bush beans. The company operates its own farms as well as sorting and packing stations at the source, thus ensuring full control over quality and delivery reliability. In addition to its main range, it also offers baby corn, passion fruit, and fresh herbs from various Kenyan growing regions.
"Baby corn has developed very well in recent years, and passion fruit is showing similar momentum," explains Rasmussen. "This year, we were able to market Kenyan passion fruit exceptionally well due to global supply shortages."
Tapping into the UK market
Rasmussen recently traveled to the UK as part of a UK trade mission with ITC SheTrades and Absa Bank Kenya, supported by the UK government. "We visited several large urban wholesale markets, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, to gain a deeper insight into local trade structures. Regardless of Brexit, the UK remains the second-largest market for fresh fruit and vegetables from Kenya and neighboring East African countries."
She highlighted one key market signal in particular: "In all the markets we visited, we found a strong presence of traders offering almost identical product lines to ours. These include not only peas and legumes but also fresh chilies. The British market for Kenyan chilies is significantly larger than that of any individual EU country. I therefore plan to further scale this product line and expand our market presence in a targeted manner."
Insight into Kenyan chili production
Kenyan Bird's Eye chili is considered the benchmark for heat, consistency, and shelf life in the British wholesale market. "Across markets such as Spitalfields, Western International Market, Birmingham, and Manchester, Kenya is rated as the hottest and most reliable source, with stable values ranging from 100,000 to 175,000 SHU. The more robust cell structure, fast cold chain, and dry growing climate ensure above-average shelf life. Color, size, and firmness, deep green, uniform, shiny, make the chili particularly attractive to repackers, ethnic wholesalers, and the Foodservice sector."
© Stella Rasmussen GmbH
For more information:
Stella Rasmussen
Stella Rasmussen GmbH
D-40670 Meerbusch
Tel: +49 (0) 1746 342 466
Tel: +25 4 708 411 272
[email protected]
www.stellarasmussen.com
