Analyzing B2B Relationships in the Supply Management of Tropical Fruit

A semi-structured in-depth interview guideline was designed and applied to German and Dutch Fruit Import Companies in order to discover the different Supply Management aspects they conduct for sourcing tropical fruit, and at the same time to get to know their experiences with Central American tropical fruit suppliers. The findings reveal that between the two groups no major differences exist in the Supply Management practices when importing tropical fruit. There are very few studies assessing the Supply Management of German and Dutch Fruit Import Companies, and no studies which explore the experiences of these companies when sourcing tropical fruit from Central America.