Our supplier tells more... Ayşe of Özler
The month of November is all about grapefruit. The first shipment of grapefruit from Turkey has arrived. In this article our supplier tells more! Ayşe from Özler tells you more about the company, about the product and the export of grapefruit.
About the company
My name is Ayşe Özler. I am the 4th generation family member, I have been working since 2002 for our family company.
Özler Family has been farmers in Adana since early 1900's, back then mainly with cotton and field crops. But starting in 1960's, our family became pioneers to develop citrus production in Adana region and became the biggest citrus grower in Turkey. And as pioneers, our family has been doing many firsts in growing citrus--for example we are the first ones to bring the Ruby Red and Star Ruby grapefruit to Turkey, so Turkey becoming one of the main grapefruit suppliers of the world, it all started in our very own orchards. If you visit us, it will be possible to see the very first and oldest ruby red and star ruby trees ever planted in Turkey.
In 1982, the family company was established as corporation and packing end export started. In fact, the first season the total export was only few trucks and the first export destination for those was Holland!
About the product
Grapefruit grows best in sub-tropical climates. Grapefruits that are grown in more
tropical climates (such as Cuba and Florida) tend to be sweeter but appearance of fruit is more ugly. Where as grapefruit grown in less tropical climates such as Adana may taste less sweet but the fruits have much better appearance with very clean skin and good color.
Turkish grapefruits are available between Middle of October to Middle of April, about 6 months of the year.
Today with over 200 thousand tons of production per year, Turkey is one of the biggest grapefruit growers in the world. What makes Turkish grapefruit popular is its quality, especially its clean skin and wonderful red blush. Also our transit time to Europe is quite short and grapefruits are great to eat during cold winter days which fits in to our availability time line.
About the export
We pack our grapefruits in open-top carton boxes. Open-top carton is a good material for keeping grapefruit in fresh condition and it is easy to recycle.
When one buys a box of Özler Ziraat grapefruit, you can be sure that those fruits comply to all EU food safety and pesticide criteria; that they have been grown in orchards of the company who has not only 4 generation knowledge of producing the best quality fruit, but also has always been fully comitted to sustainable and ethical fruit production for the benefit of its community, consumers and environment.
There are many suppliers from Turkey who export grapefruit but almost none of them have any production of their own. Our products comes from our own orchards and we are the biggest grapefruit producer in Turkey with all production GGAP and GRASP certified. In our position, what we can do that others cannot is : we start the process of controlling quality
on the tree, growing the fruit. This also is very important for controlling all spray programs, making sure to follow strict residue criteria of pestcides, creating and implementing IPM to minimize use of chemicals.
We have the following certificates: GGAP, GRASP, SMETA/SEDEX, ISO 22:000, and soon IFS FOOD.
"A partnership with Kraaijeveld means that they do as they say. Kraaijeveld is a reliable and innovative partner and we work closely with the organisation towards a mutually successful future. "
Mr. Kessen - Hessing BV
A completely new way of ordering With personal touch
Would you like to view all your products in one place, ordering at a time that is convenient to you and get access to personal information in one click? Everything is possible in our online portal MyKraaijeveld. And we still give you the personal touch! Experience the solution of your ordering frustrations.
