Fruit blog

Fruit Buyer’s Report | Fruitful Office Spring 2019

Dear All,

We hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather!

In nature, synonymous with Spring is availability and variety of different fruit types. It is an exciting time for fruit lovers.

Below are some new varieties to expect in our ‘Seasonal Mix’:

• Berries

Well known for being amongst the healthiest foods you can eat. The high level of antioxidants found in berries help to protect cells from the potential damage caused by free radicals. When free radicals attack cells the risk of heart disease and cancer increases significantly.

1. Blueberries: a superfood - low in calories but high in nutrients (fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Manganese)
2. Raspberries: possess almost 50% higher antioxidants than strawberries, three times that of kiwis and ten times that of tomatoes
3. Strawberries: just one serving offers about 150% of the body’s daily Vitamin C requirement. We love UK strawberries and always include them when available to our required quality. In addition to supporting UK farmers and minimising food miles, their sweet taste is simply unbeatable

• Plums

Interestingly, plums are a member of the rose family and are so popular that there are approximately 2,000 varieties grown worldwide.

Although variety is plentiful the quality has generally been challenging this year – we are seeing lots of injuries, punctures and shrivels. This is the result of weather impact. European plums due this Summer should be better.

We select our plums primarily based on taste and tend to favour the following varieties: Sapphire, Black Diamond, Black Amber, Greengages, Fortune, Larry Anne, Laetitia, Santa Rosa and Red Beauty.

Plums are loaded with minerals and are a great source of potassium, which benefits a healthy heart as well as balanced blood pressure levels.

Our ‘Essentials Mix’ will continue to contain the very best of everyone’s favourites. For example, we take great care when sourcing bananas to ensure they are delivered to our customers ripe and ready-to-eat, week-in week-out. In addition, all our suppliers are carefully vetted to ensure they conform to our high production and environmental expectations.

In terms of citrus fruit we are in the middle of a ‘season change’ and sourcing is particularly tricky. There are still some good quality Nadorcotts available and new season Satsumas are beginning to emerge – although their colour is still very pale and taste is also a bit on the bland side. Satsumas will improve as we move forward.

Stay healthy and enjoy Spring everyone.

Fruitful Office team