The Summerfruit NZ team (Richard Mills, Raj Singh, Kate Hellstrom, and Roger Brownlie, SNZ Chair) spent a couple of days in Auckland last week visiting wholesalers and other stakeholders to plan for the coming harvest season.
Thanks to those who hosted our visits at Countdown, Yummy Fruit Company, Seeka, MG Marketing, Fresh Direct, and T&G Fresh. These businesses all play very important roles in our industry and it was very helpful to hear their perspectives and meet some of the summerfruit category managers face-to-face. With the prospect of a dry hot summer ahead, the industry is waiting to see what volumes of Hawke’s Bay fruit will be available as the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle still plays out.
We revisited Countdown’s Auckland Fresh Distribution Centre, which has now been open for over a year, and services Countdown stores across the North Island. The 20,000 square metre facility state-of-the-art green design and technology to ensure fresh produce is kept at optimal temperatures throughout the supply chain. We also visited T&G’s newly opened state-of-the-art DC facility. Both facilities have a strong focus on the coolchain, an essential aspect for keeping fruit in the best possible condition.
Many of the stakeholders we met with provided information that is incorporated into the NZ Market reports that Richard collates during the season.