GERMANY - Today’s consumers expect their fresh produce to be as close to the farm-to-fork experience as possible. Aiming to meet this ever-growing demand, international fruit exporter and importer Don Limón has launched a new retail partnership program that places an emphasis on sourcing flexibility. This exclusive opportunity will expand Don Limón’s industry presence and bring retailers a new strategy for fresh produce sourcing.

“I want to intensify our dialogue with grape and citrus retail buyers to create long-term purchasing partnerships with Don Limón’s global sourcing and distribution offices in India, South Africa, Egypt, and Mexico,” Andreas Schindler, Co-Founder and CEO, revealed.

A press release explained that the company is calling on global retail buyers of table grapes and citrus to build long-term, tailored partnerships with Don Limón’s sourcing and distribution offices worldwide. Such partnerships are expected to create seamless and truly direct procurement from the country of origin straight to retail warehouses.

In addition to its direct supply of grapes from India, South Africa, and Egypt, Don Limón is offering citrus from South Africa and Egypt, as well as limes from Mexico and Brazil, via a range of value-added services and holistic solutions.

“We want to enable more retailers to buy directly from our network of global production, and to communicate directly with our growers, all with the support of our risk management service to overcome the many supply chain eventualities that occur with perishables,” Schindler continued. “Don Limón is offering a holistic partnership whereby the purchasing departments of corporate retailers can become truly involved in the production process with transparency, and develop a long-term understanding of the supply chain. Don Limón creates a seamless connection between the retailer and the grower to turn the retailer into the importer. Our consulting division wishes to deepen our dialogue with retail purchasing decision makers to become the flexible unit within their mostly rigid buying departments.”

Don Limón has long partnered with growers throughout the Southern Hemisphere, establishing offices and excelling in managing both people and product. Moreover, the company’s corporate retail partnerships across Europe add another layer of significant value to its supply chain.

“Don Limón offers retail buyers of grapes and citrus a variety of exceptional services to further strengthen their sourcing from overseas; from direct procurement and grower introductions to personnel recruitment, office space, and establishing local sourcing hubs,” Schindler explained. “We also offer our retail customers the opportunity to make decisions about quality control at the source, pesticide residue management, logistics, and repacking for citrus or heat-sealing for grapes.”

Direct sourcing requires a unique set of skills to establish a consistent supply of competitively-priced fresh fruits. Globally, Don Limón continues to develop a network of employees that is adept at managing the complexities of produce sourcing and commercialization.

“We have the people skills, the product knowledge, and the brand reputation to bridge the gap between growers and retailers,” Schindler said. “We are production focused, we know the growers, we understand the supply chain, and we are experts in communication and problem solving. Each of our traders is specialised in a specific product, and assigned to individual customer accounts. Our traders take the job seriously.”

Schindler concluded, “You need to find the right people and create the right atmosphere in your purchasing department. This is what we mean by Employee-First. You also need a flexible unit that can connect seamlessly with both ends of the supply chain to balance the chaos of the unpredictability of growing produce with the calm of the sophisticated logistics chain and the structured corporate retail market. Don Limón has that framework to ensure the supply chain flows seamlessly!”

Don Limón currently operates direct sourcing and distribution offices in Mexico, South Africa, and India. Egypt is next, and further hubs are expected to open in the future.

Retailers looking to diversify their produce aisles should not hesitate to jump on this exciting opportunity. Keep an eye out for more fresh produce news as AndNowUKnow reports.

Don Limón