Renowned Belgian auction Hoogstraten is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a festive end to the year this weekend.
Auction buildings have already been given a facelift and a new logo introduced, as part of the celebrations at the auction that has become synonymous with top-quality Belgian strawberries.
Gaston Opdekamp, Hoogstraten’s managing director, said: “Quality is our strong point and Flandria ensures we come up with the goods. We have to nurture that strength and keep working on it.”
Over the past 10 years, Hoogstraten’s supply of strawberries has risen from 6,000 to 21,500 tonnes, and glasshouse vegetables have also seen a substantial improvement in volume. Hoogstraten also sells soft fruit from other auctions - Profruco and Zundert - under the In-Co label.
Throughout the year, the auction has enjoyed strong pricing for its strawberries. However, the picture has been different for salad lines and while tomatoes and peppers saw satisfactory levels up until the summer, this was followed by a long period of low values.
Opdekamp said: “The massive rise in cost price as a result of the sharp increase in the cost of energy is putting our glasshouse nurseries under severe pressure. Nevertheless, a number of growers have invested significantly in increasing their production area. Looking to the future, we want to keep searching for alternative solutions, including reduced-energy production, energy shields and combined heat and power.”
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