HANOI: After 10 years of negotiations, the US market has opened up to certain fruit varieties from Vietnam, including star apples, mangoes, dragon fruit, longan and lychees. Canadian Canadawide however has been importing from Vietnam for about 15 years and has noticed a significant increase in imported volume over the past ten years.
“Consumption of Vietnamese fruits has really taken off in Canada,” says Chris Sarantis with Canadawide. “Initially, they were mainly consumed by the Asian population, but today, all ethnicities buy exotic items from Vietnam. Retailers like Metro, Loblaws and IGA are promoting the items in their flyers, which tells me they are becoming more mainstream.
