Leading Egyptian fruit group Pico plans to raise the bar for its grape, peach, nectarine and plum offering in 2015, while also adding new crops to the mix for a growing portfolio of supermarket clients.

In a release, the company said it had been ramping up existing vineyards with increased planting areas and new varieties, including Sun World cultivars across a range of colors and production schedules.

On the stonefruit front, peach and nectarine production is set to be on the up, while new early red and mid-season dark red, black and yellow plum varieties will be added.

The exporter said the expansion plans came during an "exciting period of growth", developing its range beyond its signature strawberries and introducing new fruits like pomegranates, avocados, litchis and mangoes.

With greater production set to come on-stream, Pico is on the hunt for new clients and markets, with plans to underscore Egypt's reliability during Fruit Logistica in Berlin next week.

"We are interested in win-win business models with receivers, either through contract farming or cooperation on the technical level," said business development manager Heike Hagenguth.

"In an increasingly stable and secure environment, PICO has repeatedly proven to be able to deliver consistent quality and quantities of programmed crops and varieties, meeting the highest UK and EU client specifications," Hagenguth said.

The group has increased shipments to the Arabian Gulf and South East Asia over the past year while keeping business with Russia, although Hagenguth explained the opportunities created from the Russian embargo had since been undermined by the falling value of the ruble.

"We were lucky not to put all our eggs in one basket and jump on this - at first glance - very attractive opportunity," she explained.

By contrast, Hagenguth said South East Asian markets offered plenty of opportunities, although were very demanding in terms of price and product presentation. However, she emphasized that population growth, increasing incomes and the positive impact of tourism were all making the region an attractive prospect.

"We see continuous growth and perceive Asia as the new Europe, and obviously supermarkets believe the same when you look at the number of grocery retail chains opening in these markets," Hagenguth added.

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