For anyone working in the fresh produce industry, attending last week’s three-day Fruit Logistica event was an absolute must. Walking through the halls, a bubble of different languages could be heard, mainly Spanish, German, English, Italian, Mandarin, French, and Dutch, complemented by a variety of African languages and idioms. An initial evaluation by organizer Messe Berlin shows a high level of satisfaction: 93.8% of the participants surveyed had anoverall positive impression of the trade show. 86.3% of the 2,600 exhibitors rate their attendance as a positive commercial success; and 87.7% of the exhibitors will run stands again at Fruit Logistica come 2027.
To obtain more detailed information about exhibitors’ motives to attend the Berlin-held show we spoke with managers representing different sectors: fruit trade, air freight, and ocean freight. Here are their inputs:
Ignacio Caballero, Director Marketing, Frutas de Chile
Our organization represents 90% of fresh fruit exports from Chile to the world.
Of our 200 members, representatives from 60 fresh produce companies came to Berlin to showcase their products to visitors and industry professionals at a joint exhibition stand.
Combined, our member companies generate annual turnover of USD 8.5 billion in this product segment. This makes our alliance the second-largest exporter in Chile in terms of value. Speaking about markets, the Fareast ranks first with just under 50% in terms of value, followed by the USA with around 25%, Latin America (15%) and the EU (10%). For the months and even years ahead, we see growth potential, particularly in transcontinental trade of fresh produce with the EU.
Most of our goods (80%) are transported by reefer sea freight containers, air freight accounts for 10% as do road services to neighboring Latin American countries such as Brazil.
As far as the current year is concerned, we expect a further increase in exports, at least for some fresh products, although cherries suffered a decline last year. However, in agribusiness, which is very diverse, it is impossible to make precise forecasts. This is because weather conditions can be very favorable one year and rather critical the next. In some cases, trade agreements or tariffs also play a supportive or restraining role. These external factors are beyond our control.
Thilo Schäfer, Director Cargo, Condor Flugdienst GmbH
Since I became responsible for the cargo business at Condor in NOV2023, we are running a stand at the Fruit Logistica trade fair every year. The Berlin-held show is an extremely important event for us, as 60% of all import shipments we fly in the lower decks of our passenger aircraft to Germany are perishables. This makes us the second-largest air freight carrier of these special time and temperature critical items on international routes to Germany. Given the market importance of these goods, we really wonder why some of our major competitors who had their own stands at Fruit Logistica in the past are not represented at the current Berlin trade show. But that is their decision.
In order to maintain the quality of this fresh produce throughout the entire supply chain, we have set up cold storage facilities at central transit airports like Cancun in the Dominican Republic, or, as in Frankfurt, we utilize existing facilities such as the Perishable Center. We also use a special vacuum cooler that extracts heat from shipments. This allows us to quickly reach the temperature required for the onward transport of shipments. This is particularly important for the subsequent transfers of temperature critical berries, asparagus, cherries, salads or grapes from Frankfurt to other final destinations in Europe, like Amsterdam for instance. There, we no longer deliver the goods to freight terminals at Schiphol airport, but hand them over directly to a local wholesaler. This shortens the transit time from origin to shelf and adds to product integrity.
Another important factor worth mentioning is the fact that we meet many clients face-to-face at the trade fair, including many established customers. They remain loyal to us because of the ongoing quality of our air transport services, they repeatedly told us.
And here comes a major news we just announced at Berlin’s trade show: In Latin America, we have decided to collaborate with the Panama-based cargo airline Uniworld. The carrier connects our local hub in Cancun with a multitude of destinations in Central and South America, such as Quito, Lima, Bogota, San Jose de Costa Rica, Caracas, and Havana operating B737F aircraft. Hence, our regional partner Uniworld closes an important gap in our global network by offering important feeder services enabling us to widen our market reach. As a matter of fact, on 03FEB26, a day before Fruit Logistica was kicked off, Uniworld flew our first joint shipment from Cancun to Panama City. As it looks, many more will follow. We will intensify this strategy of collaborating with local partners at important transit stations.
Thorsten Welter, Director Trade Management Latin America – South Europe, Hapag-Lloyd AG
Attending Berlin’s Fruit Logistica is an absolute must for our shipping company. The trade fair is a platform for connecting with our global customers in the fresh produce logistics sector, whether they are producers, manufacturers, or freight forwarders. They are all gathered here. From this perspective, Fruit Logistica is the place to be for us.
Not widely known is the fact that Hapag-Lloyd is the number 5 worldwide in reefer container shipping services, keeping perishables fresh and cool, from loading to delivery. That is another reason why trade fairs like this one here in Berlin or their counterparts in Madrid, Sao Paulo, or Shanghai, each with their own industry-specific focus, play such an important role for us to let people know. These are places where contacts are made and strengthened, which then ideally lead to concrete business deals. In addition, as here in Berlin, innovations in packaging, project ideas from start-ups, application models for artificial intelligence, and new business concepts are presented exclusively to a specialist and wider audience, which makes this fair very attractive.
What most visitors don’t see is the fact that attending trade shows requires a great deal of organizational planning by the exhibitors. Customer meetings must be arranged and appointments coordinated. FRUIT Attraction in Madrid, which always takes place at the end of September or, as this year, from October 6 to 8, is a fixed date in Hapag-Lloyd’s corporate calendar. Alongside Berlin’s FRUIT Logistica, it is the international epicenter for operators, retailers, and traders in the fruit and vegetable sectors. It is therefore of enormous strategic importance to us. So see you in Madrid next time.
