The Bio Top range covers most products within the Agrexco portfolio from potatoes to exotics according to the season. The brand has its own website set up by the Plant Protection Inspection Services (PPIS), the Israeli body responsible for certifying organic production. This allows customers to check out any growers for certification.
Although organics play a relatively small part as an overall percentage of the company’s total exports, in key products such as potatoes, tomatoes, avocados and capsicums the figure is far higher.
“Consumers in the UK who are organically minded are prepared to pay the price premium for every day core products such as potatoes and tomatoes. We do offer a comprehensive range of organics, but consumers will think twice about buying a regular pitahaya for example, let alone an organic one,” says Rob Cullum, product manager for Agrexco UK. “In Israel, after a slow start, there has been a gradual rise in the demand of organics, but consumers do not appear to be as ‘organic conscious’ as those in the UK, and the price differential there also plays a major part in buying habits.”
Organic potatoes are a core product - the season starts in December and runs through to July with the main growing areas in the Negev and on a lesser level further north in the Bet Shean Valley.
Cullum says: “As the demand for our regular potatoes increases, so does the demand for our organics. We are constantly improving the technical side of the business and following the introduction last year of new import procedures we pledge to deliver all paperwork with each delivery. We also intend to concentrate on improving harvesting and grader damage, which were the big issues last season.
“This year we will see a few new varieties to try and meet the demand for bakers. Remarka is grown in the north in an area exclusive to Agrexco growers. It will provide late season bakers as well as the more familiar Sante. As expected, we will have the traditional varieties such as the classic Nicola that accounts for 65 per cent of production, as well as Ditta and Valor - these last two mainly going to the European markets. As for the reds, alongside Desiree, we have two new additions. The up and coming Rosana is a red variety with a deeper and more attractive skin colour and Laura a variety coming in earlier than Desiree. We will also have some commercial volumes of Maris Piper following on from successful trials last year.”
Organic sweet potatoes have also been a major success story for Agrexco. Having successfully filled a gap left by the US product last year, and with excellent eating qualities, export figures for this season (July to March) are expected to be 600 tonnes - packed in 6kg cartons.
Last season did prove tough though for organic carrots. Cullum explains: “Adverse weather conditions made it difficult last season, but as a result of the tremendous efforts made by our growers, the quality this season has been excellent. Packhouses have been upgraded this year with machinery changed to meet UK specifications, with product packed either in jumbo bags or 14.5 kg boxes.”
Big things are expected for winter vegetables in 2004. It is the fourth year that Agrexco has exported organic parsnips and the second year for leeks. Yaniv Yablonka is responsible for both products. “Both of these lines are a growth area within Agrexco. Although there is only a six-week window, we are trying to provide our customers with an alternative at the end of the UK season until supplies become available from Europe - so far with great success,” he says. “Both products are washed and trimmed at source to eliminate wastage, with parsnips then being hydro-cooled. Again, both are shipped to the UK in bulk 15/16 kg trays in modified atmosphere liners to retain optimum quality.”
Avocados, a mainstay product for Agrexco, are also available under the Bio Top brand. Eitan Zvi, product manager, says: “The Bio Top varieties include Hass, Fuerte and Ettinger, although there is a decided preference in the UK for the black skinned Hass. If supplies of Hass are short, our customers are happy to take whatever we have available, due to the reliable quality that we offer.”
With organic tomatoes, Agrexco supplies cherry and cherry on the vine, with the latter gradually gaining more shelf space to comply with customer demand. “We have just launched Piccolo, in selected outlets, a particularly flavoursome variety of cherry on the vine,” says Steve Hopkins, product manager for both regular and organic tomatoes. “Capsicums are also a key product which can be packed to specific customer requirements in whatever format wanted.”
Amos Orr, Agrexco’s general manager, believes it will be interesting to see what shape the organics market takes in the next few years. He says: “The organic business in the UK is growing - alongside the standard of living. However, with the compulsory growing procedures for conventional produce needed to comply with UK regulations and that includes EurepGAP, HACCP, and BRC standards, it seems inevitable that the gap between the two categories will narrow as more control is placed upon agricultural practices.”
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