With a diverse lineup of fruits sourced from around the world, Salix Fruits finds great value in having a presence at Fruit Logistica.
Held each February in Berlin, Germany, Fruit Logistica draws more than 3,200 exhibitors and 78,000 attendees representing the entire fruit and vegetable spectrum, from global players to small- and medium-sized companies and organizations from 130 different countries.Juan Gonzalez Pita
As such, the event provides tremendous opportunities for companies looking to make contacts and increase their business in the global arena.
“We have been attending Fruit Logistica for seven years now, and this is our third straight year that we have our own stand,” said Juan Gonzalez Pita, founder and sales director at Salix Fruits. “For us, this show is an excellent opportunity to show our colleagues our full team, talk about the industry and keep up to date about the business.”
Salix is headquartered in Canton, GA, a suburb north of Atlanta, but it also has offices South Africa, Chile, Spain, Brazil, Russia and Argentina. The Middle East represents the company’s largest market at 30 percent, followed by Canada at 20 percent, and the United States, Latin America, Asia, Russia and India, each at 10 percent.
The main products the company distributes are lemons and apples, which each account for 20 percent of its business, and grapes and oranges, which account for 10 percent each. The remaining 40 percent includes figs, pomegranates, mandarins, avocados, pears, limes, kiwifruit, grapefruit, clementines, bananas and stone fruits.
“In our global trading business, we sell mostly to importers and wholesalers, but in the United States we have our own import operation, and we sell to wholesalers mainly in the Northeast,” said Gonzalez. “We are also very interested in developing the foodservice channel.”
One of Salix’s strengths is that it has more than 250 sourcing partners in 50 countries. “We can give our growers almost instant access to many different marketing options,” he said. “And for our own customers we are a one-stop shop, since we source from 20 different origins with an extensive network of 80 growers.”
Looking ahead, Gonzalez said that Salix is diligently working on its flagship project, Salix Marketplace, to be launched in 2020.
“Salix Marketplace is a B2B e-commerce platform that will lead the industry for the next 10 years,” he said. “We believe that Salix is the only player in this broad market that is capable of making this happen.”
Fruit Logistica will be held Feb. 6-8 in Berlin. Salix Fruits can be found in Hall 25, B06.