Wealmoor is a family-owned operation, which was established 31 years ago. The company is an exotics specialist and sees the business from both sides, as it both grows and imports from its own farms and key partners worldwide.

Mark Horton, multiples manager at Wealmoor, says there has been growth within all sections of exotics and expects this to continue. This, he believes, is driven by broader interest in food generally and regional cuisine, as well as the mixture of cultures and society’s increased exposure to different foods. Horton says: “At Wealmoor we have three clear areas within exotic produce; airfreighted legumes and baby vegetables, exotic vegetables and exotic fruit - all are growing, with the most explosive growth in exotic fruit where we have driven some very exciting initiatives over recent years.”

In fruit, mango is the main driver of sales and according to Horton a product that is becoming part of the mainstream. He says: “It is well inside the top 10 fruits sold now by retail value and has the potential to increase even further. In vegetables, products such as asparagus carry high values and represent substantial business. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are now staple products as are airfreight vegetables.”

Horton explains that the company provides a full range of exotic produce, which does not come without its headaches. “The readily available supply from supermarkets has increased sales and in turn the professionalism of the supply base has risen with better product quality and pricing,” he says. “A lot of production is in tropical or subtropical areas where weather conditions can be erratic. In the fruit sector there are short season products which require global sourcing expertise to maintain.”

Traceability is an issue, which for Wealmoor is a prerequisite. “We invest heavily with technical staff travelling and working alongside our grower base to ensure standards are met,” he says. “Grower accreditation is also standard to ensure we meet customer expectations, but something which disproportionately affects exotics in terms of cost due to the short season nature and number of suppliers relative to turnover when compared to the suppliers of core lines.” There is also an issue with the number of schemes and therefore the process often requires more that one auditor.

A specific challenge for exotics is the additional limitation of chemical usage - a fast declining armoury, as chemical manufacturers will not fund approvals or re-approvals for minor crops. This often means companies cannot use basic chemicals used on mainstream crops.

Wealmoor is focused on driving its growth within the market. “We are actively marketing our products on an ongoing basis. Many of our lines are offer-responsive and react well to promotions,” he says. “Real long-term gain is to be made through inspiring and encouraging customers and providing opportunities to try the product. We can drive this sort of activity with our retail customers through store magazines, recipe cards and in-store tastings.”

Horton is also looking for the next big thing. He says: “We have strong aspirations for papaya and some of the lesser fruits, some of which carry substantial sales and with strong growth potential The next thing to emerge is probably a true ethnic range within the mainstream retail sector. This is a large and growing customer group which is broadly not shopping within the multiple retail sector.”

Horton is stepping down from heading the retail sector at Wealmoor at the end of the month. He said: “I have enjoyed my role during a challenging but rewarding period for the business and Wealmoor are well placed to exploit the growth opportunities that lie ahead.”

Horton’s replacement Paul Bailey was previously with Del Monte Prepared Foods. He brings with him new experience and a fresh approach to deliver the next stage in Wealmoor’s business development plans.

AGREXCO’S EXOTIC DRIVER

Think Israel, think exotics - the two go hand in hand. The exotic market is an integral part of Agrexco’s business, with total export figures reaching 40,000 tonnes during 2003/04.

“The climate in Israel is perfect for growing exotic fruits. Admittedly some products will inevitably remain a niche market item such as carambola and pitahaya, but in saying that, we have seen a slow but steady rise in sales of both,” explains Amos Orr, general manager for Agrexco UK.

The Agrexco exotic portfolio includes Sharon fruit, kumquats, limequats, carambola, pitahaya, dates, figs, pomegranates, pomegranate seeds, lychees, passion fruit, pomelos, Jerusalem artichokes, red chillies, yellow courgettes, mangoes and sweet potato.

Orr says: “Oddly enough, the UK is the only country that regards both mango and sweet potato as exotics, elsewhere in Europe and the US, the mango is considered to be a fruit and the sweet potato a vegetable, which is interesting as both these products make up the greater part of our exotic exports.”

With the sweet potato, as a result of the knowledge and experience accrued by three generations of dedicated growers, Agrexco is able to extend its season - July to March, both at the start and at the end, way ahead of its competitors.

Rob Cullum, product manager, explains: “We are fortunate to work with accomplished growers whose goal is the same as ours - to supply a product for as long a period as possible without sacrificing quality. All of our sweet potato growers reached EurepGAP certification last year. We believe that ours were the first group of sweet potato growers to achieve this in the world. Overall tonnage is up this year as sales are ever increasing both in the UK and Europe and we are working towards trying to produce a 12-month supply by establishing new varieties and new growing areas.”

The Agrexco sweet potato is more delicate than others. It is hand picked, a factor that helps prevent unnecessary bruising to the skin and damage to the flesh. This proves a good point of difference, as much of the competition is found to suffer from poor quality and inexperienced cleaning techniques. Cullum adds: “It is a fast developing market with increasing consumer awareness of the taste, quality and versatility.”

Agrexco is a member of the Mango Association and 2004 will be the third year of its involvement. The company is extending its season - July to October - by approaching and investing in more orchards in the south Negev and Arava regions, aiming to bring them up to the high standards of the orchards in the north currently producing the quality mangos associated with Agrexco.

Agrexco product manager Eitan Zvi says: “Today’s customers are getting more selective in their purchase of mangoes. They are tending to look for the less fibrous fruit, which is tree ripened and ready to eat. If they want to eat a mango, they want it that day, they don’t want to have to wait a few days for it. We had great success this season with our newer varieties - Shelly, Maya and Lily as ‘ripe and ready to eat’.

Shelly is the latest variety from Agrexco. It is distinctive with red and orange skin. The flesh is orange, with an intensive fruity taste, yet not too sweet and benefits from a good shelf-life.

As with other products, Agrexco, under its international brand Alesia, is trying to provide a year round supply of mangoes. Work is being done with an established packhouse in both Brazil and Peru, strictly adhering to Agrexco’s quality control according to EurepGAP standards.

Zvi says: “The Brazilian season goes from April to June, we supply from July to October - Brazil comes in again from October to December with Peru completing the year from December to April. In each country the fruit is packed at source in EurepGAP approved packhouses. We are delighted with how sales of mangoes are going in the UK. It is helped by the ‘ripe and ready’ fruit available - if consumers buy and then eat an under- ripe mango they could be put off for life. This way, they should be able to taste the fruit at its optimum. The ‘ripe and ready’ tag should also educate them as to the fact that a green skinned mango can be perfectly ripe, in other words skin colour does not denote ripeness.”

Sharon fruit has also gained in popularity in the UK with supplies from Agrexco starting in November and continuing through to February. The fruit is grown throughout Israel and packed to customer requirements with early supplies airfreighted to the UK.

Pitahaya or dragonfruit, although less dominant in the UK as opposed to the European market, has steadily gained ground, with consumers becoming less frightened of this particularly exotic looking fruit. Figs, starfruit, kumquats and pomegranates again are making more of an impact, with figs in particular showing a steady increase in sales. Cullum says: “The first wave of the Israeli fig season runs from in June until mid-August. We then bring in Turkish figs under our Alesia label from September to October. Israel then brings in the second wave of full supply from November to December, but this year we have succeeded in extending the season to end in March with very small volumes in a trial area.”

Jerusalem artichokes are a relatively new product for Agrexco. After a good trial last year, they are currently selling well to the catering trade with supplies coming in from September to March. “We are hoping to increase volumes as customers become aware of this versatile vegetable,” says Cullum. “We are also just coming to the end of our first commercial season with yellow courgettes. The season began in December and all supplies have gone to the catering sector, however we are looking to get them into the multiples next year.”

Agrexco has also introduced a new product - pomegranate seeds. Alongside a machine that de-seeds the fruit, a new variety of soft seed pomegranate has been developed. Crimson, sweet and juicy, Pomegranate Rubies have excellent health benefits, effective in reducing risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cullum says: “The Rubies are delicious as a health snack, they add colour to salads, and make any ice cream dish look great.” The product is available in both catering and retail packs ‘ready to eat’ - it has the potential of becoming a popular product as has been seen in the Far East.

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