As Chilean lemons begin to return to European shelves, Dutch organics specialist Eosta has found itself in a strong position on the market due to a shortage of organic lemons from South Africa.

Citrus product manager Pieter de Keijzer commented: “As most of our customers know, we have a very limited supply of South African lemons this year. This is unfortunate particularly when you realise how strong the demand is for premium organic lemons. The good news is that we are once again in a position to offer product from our growers in Chile and from what I have seen, the quality and quantity is looking good.

“Organic lemons are very popular and every year we see a growth in demand,” he continued. “Seeing the lower volumes from South Africa this year, the situation is more extreme than in previous years. Of course, we will do our utmost to serve as many customers as possible.”

The shortage from South Africa is due to issues with citrus black spot disease. “It is terrible for our growers in South Africa,” said Eosta’s sustainability and communications manager, Michaël Wilde. “But now we are the only ones with organic lemons, so we are in a very strong market position.”

The first containers of Chilean organic lemons are set to arrive imminently, with the season running into September. “From then on, we will have the wonderful Interdonato lemons from our Turkish Nature & More grower Taner,” added de Keijzer.