Mark Greeve of Anaco & Greeve shares some interesting, sometimes surprising, insights about the banana market: Eastern Europe leads the way regarding spot market prices, Colombia remains Europe’s leading supplier, Vlissingen handles trade faster than Rotterdam, the organic sector is growing steadily, and local Latin American markets are consuming more bananas.

Mark, son of Robert and grandson of Koos Greeve, has been at Anaco&Greeve, a Dutch company, for three years. After gaining experience in the biotech and post-harvest sectors, he appreciates trade dynamics. “It’s chaotic, but you must stay calm,” he says.

Anaco & Greeve import and export a wide range of products, but bananas feature prominently. Every week, they remove 40,000+ boxes from their ripening rooms, and in April, six new ones will be added. They sell directly from the ports of Antwerp (Belgium), Vlissingen, and Rotterdam, as well as from their distribution center in the Netherlands. “Things move fast at Vlissingen, with minimal delays. Rotterdam can sometimes be slower.”

Those bananas go to European retail, wholesale, and food service industries. Anaco & Greeve does not want to depend on a single customer, so it avoids exclusive contracts with large supermarket chains. “Supply and demand don’t always match, and we fill those gaps,” says Mark.

The company is increasingly working on a contract basis, partly due to climate change and price fluctuations. “We use annual prices, also for the growers. The spot market remains important, especially in Eastern Europe.” Colombia is the main supplier of bananas in the European market, followed by Costa Rica and Guatemala. Ecuador focuses mainly on Russia but does not forget Europe.

Organic bananas are gaining ground. Anaco & Greeve imports them from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Ecuador. “You need organic to help the world move forward,” Mark explains. The Dominican Republic is recovering from Sigatoka, a virus mainly affecting organic farming.

In Latin America, local markets are rapidly developing. “The middle class is growing and demanding quality. Growers can now choose to sell their premium bananas locally.”. Technological progress gives growers more market power, but Mark still sees a role for contracted ripeners. “Ripening is a necessary process,” he explains.

Greeve believes the biggest threat to the profession may be a much more general trend: declining fruit and vegetable consumption. “A study has, once again, proven that. Fresh fruit is losing out not only to unhealthy products but now also to substitutes such as energy bars with dried fruit. Also, bananas are becoming pricier.”

“That’s due to inflation and the strong dollar. No one in the chain has managed to get a grip on that. In that sense, apples, which are less affected, could take over part of the market. But that’s not yet the case. Bananas have always been a strong product, and it’s up to us to keep it that way,” he concludes.

Mark Greeve
Anaco & Greeve
ABC Westland 666
2685 DH Poeldijk
Tel: +31 (0) 174 210200
[email protected]
www.anacogreeve.nl