From direct procurement to office set-up, the German group is offering produce retail buyers a mix of services that tap into its global connections and supply chain management expertise.
Don Limón – the international fresh fruit exporter-importer – is excited to announce the launch of its retail partnership programme to offer greater flexibility as the trend towards direct sourcing intensifies.
The company is calling on global retail buyers of table grapes and citrus to build long-term, tailored partnerships with Don Limón’s sourcing and distribution offices worldwide for seamless and true direct procurement from the country of origin straight to retail warehouses.
Via a range of value-added services and holistic solutions, Don Limón is offering a direct supply of grapes from India, South Africa and Egypt, plus citrus from South Africa and Egypt, as well as limes from Mexico and Brazil.
Andreas Schindler, Don Limón’s Co-Founder and CEO, reveals: “I want to intensify our dialogue with grape and citrus retail buyers to create long-term purchasing partnerships with Don Limón’s global sourcing and distribution offices in India, South Africa, Egypt and Mexico.”
Schindler continues: “We want to enable more retailers to buy directly from our network of global production, and to communicate directly with our growers, all with the support of our risk management service to overcome the many supply chain eventualities that occur with perishables. Don Limón is offering a holistic partnership whereby the purchasing departments of corporate retailers can become truly involved in the production process with transparency, and develop a long-term understanding of the supply chain. Don Limón creates a seamless connection between the retailer and the grower to turn the retailer into the importer. Our consulting division wishes to deepen our dialogue with retail purchasing decision makers to become the flexible unit within their mostly rigid buying departments.”
Don Limón is much more than a classical importer or category manager. The Germany-headquartered group has partnered with growers throughout the Southern Hemisphere; establishing offices and excelling in managing both people and product. Moreover, Don Limón’s corporate retail partnerships across Europe add another layer of significant value to this supply chain.
Schindler explains: “Don Limón offers retail buyers of grapes and citrus a variety of exceptional services to further strengthen their sourcing from overseas; from direct procurement and grower introductions to personnel recruitment, office space and establishing local sourcing hubs. We also offer our retail customers the opportunity to make decisions about quality control at the source, pesticide residue management, logistics, and repacking for citrus or heat-sealing for grapes.”
Importantly, direct sourcing requires a unique set of skills to establish a consistent supply of competitively-priced fresh fruits. Globally, Don Limón continues to develop a network of employees that is adept at managing the complexities of produce sourcing and commercialisation.
Schindler explains: “We have the people skills, the product knowledge and the brand reputation to bridge the gap between growers and retailers. We are production focused, we know the growers, we understand the supply chain and we are experts in communication and problem solving. Each of our traders is specialised in a specific product, and assigned to individual customer accounts. Our traders take the job seriously.”
Excelling at direct sourcing is a process of learning; and Don Limón has been perfecting its knowledge since the group’s inception in 2007 by building on the expertise honed by the Pilz Schindler family company since 1952.
Schindler concludes: “You need to find the right people and create the right atmosphere in your purchasing department. This is what we mean by Employee-First. You also need a flexible unit that can connect seamlessly with both ends of the supply chain to balance the chaos of the unpredictability of growing produce with the calm of the sophisticated logistics chain and the structured corporate retail market. Don Limón has that framework to ensure the supply chain flows seamlessly!”
Already, Don Limón operates direct sourcing and distribution offices in Mexico, South Africa and India. Egypt is next, and further hubs are on the cards.
