Looking for suppliers you can build a program on?
Finding a grower who has fruit is easy. Finding one whose volume, calibre, quality, certifications and shipping window match your program — season after season — is not.
A gap in supply, a new retail listing or a weak season at your usual origin often means searching for a new source quickly, without the time or on-the-ground contacts to qualify it properly.
How Frutta Group helps
We work from your specification backwards. We identify growers, packers and exporters across producing regions, check what they can realistically supply, and put forward the options that fit.
Because we move with seasonality rather than a fixed portfolio, we can look at more than one origin for the same product and help you build counter-seasonal or multi-origin supply.
Why international sourcing fails — and how to avoid it
Most sourcing problems are specification problems in disguise. The supplier shipped what they understood; the buyer expected something else. Calibre ranges, colour standards, pressure, brix, defect tolerances and packing all need to be agreed in writing before the season, not discussed on arrival.
The second cause is timing. An origin can be in season and still not be the right choice if its peak volume arrives after your program starts, or if transit time leaves too little shelf life for your channel. We plan sourcing around the arrival window, not the harvest date.
Building multi-origin programs
Year-round availability in most categories depends on alternating hemispheres — for example southern-hemisphere citrus and blueberries in the northern autumn and winter, and northern-hemisphere origins through spring and summer. The transitions between origins are where quality and continuity are most at risk, so we plan overlaps deliberately.
The Frutta Group approach
- 01
Define the requirement
Product, variety, calibre, packaging, certifications, volume, target price range, destination market and arrival window.
- 02
Map origins and suppliers
We identify which origins are in season when you need fruit and which suppliers in them match your requirement.
- 03
Qualify
We check capacity, packing, certifications, export experience to your market and commercial terms before any introduction.
- 04
Structure the supply
Samples or trial shipments, agreed specifications, pricing basis, Incoterms and payment terms.
- 05
Follow through
We stay involved as shipments move, so issues on quality, documentation or timing are handled early.
What we match on
- Product and variety
- Origin
- Volume and frequency
- Calibre and grade
- Quality and shelf-life requirements
- Certifications (e.g. GLOBALG.A.P., GRASP, retailer standards)
- Season and arrival window
- Destination market requirements
What you get
- A shortlist of suppliers that fit your specification, not a list of names
- Alternative or complementary origins to extend your supply window
- Clear commercial terms before the first shipment
- Less time spent qualifying suppliers internally
Tell us about the product, origin, market and volume you have in mind.
Discuss your sourcing needsFrequently asked questions
Which products can Frutta Group source?
Our work is driven by seasonality and origin rather than a fixed list. Categories we work with include citrus, berries, table grapes, apples and stone fruit such as cherries, peaches, nectarines and plums. For other products, tell us your requirement and we will say plainly whether we can help.
Do you only source for large volumes?
No. We work on full programs and on smaller or trial volumes. What matters is that the requirement is defined clearly enough to match it with the right supplier.
Do you handle logistics?
We are not a freight forwarder. We coordinate the commercial side of the shipment — terms, documentation flow, timing and follow-up — and work alongside your logistics provider or the supplier’s.
Can you source from several origins for the same product?
Yes. Combining origins is one of the most common ways we help clients extend their supply window and reduce dependence on a single region.
How early should we start sourcing for a new season?
For programs with retail listings, ideally several months before the first arrival, so supply can be confirmed and packing materials and labels prepared. Spot requirements can be handled faster, but options narrow as the season approaches.