BelOrta and Hoogstraten join forces on Belgian blues

Belgium’s BelOrta and Hoostraten cooperatives have announced plans to combine their volumes of locally produced blueberries, which  will be marketed centrally via BelOrta. 

“With this collaboration, both cooperatives want to put the Belgian blueberry more firmly on the map and ensure that this local quality product gets a full and visible place in the range of Belgian retail, wholesale and specialist shops,” the cooperatives stated.

Both cooperatives are set to continue offering their blueberries under their own brand names in open packaging (12x125g in cardboard containers and 15x150g in silver-coloured trays). For closed packaging, BelOrta and Hoogstraten will opt for a joint marketing approach via BelOrta.

“This collaboration is given extra clout by the joint label ‘Local & Quality’, which both organisations launched a few years ago,” BelOrta stated. “The label emphasises the Belgian origin of the products and the short chain that ensures optimum freshness. In addition, it stands for authenticity, sustainability and transparency - values that are becoming increasingly important for conscious buyers. With this label, we are therefore responding perfectly to the growing demand for local products.”

Global production of blueberries is showing strong growth, but Belgian supplies have stagnated and slightly declined in recent years. 

“We are all aware that we have a unique product on our hands, namely hand-picked, high-quality blueberries from Belgian soil,” the cooperatives said. “And we must cherish this and support it throughout the entire chain, from the field to the consumer.

“Together with our producers, we are therefore working hard to make this local supply stronger again. By joining forces and using the strong ‘Local & Quality’ label, we are offering a clear answer to the growing demand from consumers for local and reliable products.”