Scottish soft-fruit specialist Angus Soft Fruits aims to put the UK firmly on the berry-breeding map by becoming the first exporter of a branded variety to the Benelux countries.
The company has joined forces with Dutch giant The Greenery to extend the availability of its AVA strawberries in the UK market as well as develop demand for the premium fruit in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg.
AVA will be the first premium strawberry to be grown and sold in the Netherlands and the move will extend the growing season by four months, making the berries available to ASF’s UK customers from March to December.
ASF commercial manager John Gray said: “At the moment we can produce AVA from May to the end of September but from next year we will start with Dutch glasshouse production from March and go through until December, so we are getting on for having 12-month supply.”
According to Gray, the venture marks an interesting turning point in European strawberry supply.
He said: “It is not the first time a berry has been bred here and exported - the Scottish Crop Research Institute has bred some strawberries and exported them elsewhere - but it is fairly unusual, particularly for Holland. The main variety being grown there is Elsanta, a Dutch variety, which the European market has been pretty much based on for years. So, it is interesting that the situation is reversing, at least for the premium lines.”
Gray added: “There is already a market for premium strawberries established in the UK but in parallel with increasing the volume of product available for our customers, The Greenery will be trying to establish a premium market in Holland.”
ASF has had a commercial relationship with The Greenery for some time, but the AVA agreement is the first of what ASF hopes will be a number of varietal exchanges with the Dutch company.
“The agreement at the moment is The Greenery has the rights to AVA in the Benelux countries and ASF will be exclusively selling the strawberries, from The Greenery’s production, in the UK,” Gray told FPJ.
Lochy Porter, AFS md, first approached The Greenery in 2004 and since then it has conducted numerous successful trials.
He said producing AVA outside the UK will be vital to keep pace with growing demand for the premium berries, adding: “This season, we sold 1,000 tonnes of AVA, up 40 per cent year on year, with demand frequently outstripping supply.”
Gray said The Greenery’s expertise in glasshouse production makes it an obvious partner. “We apply strict quality control to every stage of production and what’s unique about The Greenery is that they will supervise the entire cultivation and distribution process, from propagating material up to the supermarket shelf,” Porter added.
Annie van de Riet, director of strategy and corporate affairs at The Greenery, said: “[AVA has] a superior flavour, aroma and colour and have the added unique trait of retaining their white petals in spring. The Greenery growers now have a unique, exclusive opportunity to start growing the premium variety that is significantly different to ordinary varieties.”
