Asian cuisine in the Rhineland has grown significantly in recent years. As a result, this segment has also become an attractive market for regional food retailers. "Up to 90 per cent of our customer base today consists of Asian restaurants, including sushi bars, Chinese, and Indian restaurants. We supply them with virtually everything they need, from vegetables like broccoli, onions, and Chinese cabbage to tofu, eggs, and oil," reports Ahmet Avzar, managing director of Fusa FrüchteExpress UG, based at the ABA Frischezentrum Köln-Gremberghoven.
Avzar looks back on a career spanning nearly 40 years in the fruit and vegetable industry and has been at the helm of Fusa FrüchteExpress UG for 15 years now. In addition to the aforementioned vegetable products, pak choi is also an integral part of Asian cuisine. "We still mainly offer pak choi of Spanish origin, but the change of season is now imminent. In week 11, we were already able to offer our customers the first Dutch greenhouse-grown produce. The spring-like weather is benefiting the greenhouse cultivation, so supply volumes are now increasing rapidly." Price-wise, Dutch pak choi is now also "in the green"—so says the specialist retailer.
© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
Ahmet Avzar shows a box of pak choi. Over the years, the produce dealer has specialized in supplying Asian restaurants throughout the Rhineland.
With Choi Sam, Avzar offers his customers a second Asian leafy vegetable that resembles pak choi, particularly in appearance. This vegetable is also sourced from both Spain and the Netherlands. "However, demand and sales volumes are significantly lower than for pak choi," he emphasizes.
© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
Soybean sprouts are also a perennial favorite in the Asian restaurant industry.
Falling cucumber prices
High market prices also pose major challenges for restaurant suppliers at times. Avzar: "Bell peppers, for example, have become considerably pricier in recent weeks. This is primarily due to weather-related quantity and quality issues in Spain, while the Dutch season is just really getting into full swing." There have also been several price increases recently for broccoli and pointed cabbage from the Iberian Peninsula. "Cucumber prices, on the other hand, have been trending sharply downward for about two weeks following a long period of high prices. This is primarily due to the large supply volumes from the Netherlands."
© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
A look inside the cold storage facility of Fusa FrüchteExpress. Since the start of the year, the company has been based at the new ABA Frischezentrum Köln-Gremberghoven.
For more information:
Ahmet Avzar
Fusa FrüchteExpress UG
Josef-Linden-Weg 6
51149 Cologne
Phone: +49 170 327 5214
[email protected]
