The Dutch are known for their optimism and it is certainly in evidence when it comes to salads. Although poor light levels were reported earlier in the year, delaying the season by two weeks, producers and exporters expect that shipments to the UK will rise.
The Dutch deal kicks off in early March and producers are firing on all cylinders, confident that the UK remains a buoyant market.
“People in the UK are health-conscious,” says Hans Verwegen, market analyst for The Greenery. “There’s a strong interest in fresh produce; salads are a very convenient option. As there’s less time to cook, peppers and tomatoes are particularly versatile and they’re getting a lot of coverage in the media.”
While demand for pepper may be rising, this isn’t being reflected in Dutch statistics. In terms of tonnage, Dutch pepper exports fell last year to 54,665 tonnes compared to 62,871t in 2005. The fall was partially attributed to a smaller crop due to the disappointing prices of 2005.
Tomato exports also dropped to 106,475t in 2006, from 108,888t in 2005. Dutch exporters say there’s an explanation for these figures. “UK consumers are buying more luxury salads but in lower quantities,” says Verwegen.
He adds: “More consumers are opting for smaller-sized tomatoes, such as cherry, cocktail and on the vine over standard loose tomatoes, which weigh less. Certainly for premium-type varieties, we’re seeing stronger demand. This year we expect that TNS data will show a 32 per cent higher spend on vine tomatoes compared to standard loose product.”
Recognition of the growing interest in healthy promises has resulted in a flurry of activity and many Dutch growers have been introducing vitamin-packed tomato varieties.
The Greenery says its Santessa tomato brand is performing well in the marketplace. “They are wonderfully sweet and aromatic, but the real added bonus for health is the extra high lycopene content,” says Verwegen. “We have been selling Santessa on a trial basis and this year we will offer the cocktail variety Prolyco, plum Romana and Lycorossa under the Santessa brand.”
The Greenery also has high hopes for the Dunne variety, which is offered under the label San Mazzo Mini. This mini, bottle-shaped plum tomato also has a very high lycopene content and is sold both on the vine and also loose, under the label Bella Margherita.
“Mini tomatoes are performing very well in the UK and acreage is rising significantly,” Verwegen tells FPJ. “The demand started with Santa tomatoes, and if you look in Marks & Spencer, you’ll see they don’t sell standard cherry tomatoes any more.
“There’s certainly room for growth and you’ll find there’s always more innovation in tomatoes as the genetic varieties are bigger for tomatoes than for peppers.”
Quality Produce International (QPI) is another company that’s optimistic about the coming season. It was established in 1998 to supply the UK retail market. Over the last nine years, QPI has broadened its customer range significantly to serve all key sectors of the UK fresh produce industry.
“We have customers ranging from packers and retailers to processing companies, catering and foodservice companies and wholesale markets,” says QPI’s Marcel Paul.
QPI has its own growers group in the Netherlands, which produces aubergines, cucumbers and peppers under the Sensation brand and tomatoes under the Magic brand.
The company invested in a new facility at the end of last year when it acquired an old warehouse from The Greenery that had stood empty for three years. “We completely redeveloped it and we now have a 8,000m2 facility that meets UK standards and services the European fresh produce industry,” Paul says.
Similarly to other growers, QPI says this year’s crops have got off to a late start. “We’ve had a real lack of sunshine and light levels,” Paul reports. “Coloured peppers will come on line in the next few weeks but will only be at full volumes at the end of April.”
He adds: “We enjoyed good business in the UK last year. Consumers were very satisfied with our performance and some are looking to increase the products they handle from us, for example we have some clients who took tomatoes last year and they now want to handle tomatoes and cucumbers. The UK’s strict demands on chemical control works in our favour, as we have more opportunities to service the market.”
UK fresh produce consumption is rising year on year, but QPI says it is difficult to pinpoint growth in specific products. However, like other Dutch producers, the company believes that growers can garner further market share.
“Holland is able to supply some southern UK towns more easily and quickly than trucks coming in from Scotland,” Paul claims. “Also, when boats are used to transport fresh produce, this produces fewer emissions than trucks.”
While the Dutch and Spanish seasons slightly overlap, Paul is keen to point out that this doesn’t affect sales. He says: “It makes sense for warmer climates such as Spain and Israel to export when they’ve got good weather during the winter months. We don’t see them as competitors when we’re not growing.”
Dutch salads represent the backbone of QPI’s operations, but Paul is keen to emphasise that the firm also imports a full range of fresh produce, including melons, exotics, bananas and soft fruit.
It may only be March but it’s already been a busy year for Dutch organisation Rainbow Growers Group. Not only is the group celebrating its 10-year anniversary, but its Vitamini’s snack line also won the award for innovation at this year’s Fruit Logistica.
Vitamini’s is the brand that Rainbow uses for the marketing of three snack products: cocktail cucumbers, sweet snack peppers and cherry honey tomatoes.
“During the past months, the team at Rainbow has worked hard on the expansion and perfection of the mini-vegetable snack line and this has paid off,” Iwan van Vliet, Rainbow’s PR and communications manager, tells FPJ.
“We’re the first company to introduce a healthy snack line concept which consists of three different products. Packed under the Vitamini’s brand, the cucumbers are no bigger than 9cm and 7cms for the sweet snack pepper. We’re testing different kinds of sweet peppers at the moment and are looking for different kinds of vegetable or fruit items for our Vitamini’s.”
Three of Rainbow’s growers are developing a large-scale greenhouse project encompassing 60 hectares, and according to van Vliet, phase one has been completed. “Two greenhouses, each comprising 10 hectares, have been built and we expect the first peppers from Kwekerij de Wieringermeer in April,” he says.
Rainbow says the 2007 season began on March 1 with green peppers. The group expects to export similar volumes this year compared to 2006.
However, informing consumers about the positive environmental and biological aspects of Dutch product will give the country’s fresh produce a boost, van Vliet says.
The Rainbow Growers Group is a Dutch growers’ association consisting of 20 members who grow bell peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, chilli peppers and cocktail cucumbers. It will add courgettes to its portfolio from this month.
While tomatoes gain significant media coverage, shippers are also hoping peppers will find greater favour in the UK. According to The Greenery research, 94 per cent of UK consumers have tried tomatoes, as opposed to less than 70 per cent for peppers. Last year penetration in the UK grew by only one per cent for peppers.
“If we could increase awareness of peppers, there would definitely be room for growth,” Verwegen predicts. “It’s important to promote the health benefits of peppers, not just the vitamin C content (100g of peppers contain more than four times the amount of vitamin C compared to oranges) but also focus on vitamin E.”
Growers are also hoping that the introduction of various mini and midi types will result in some gains in the retail and catering sectors.
While tomato and pepper exports have fallen, cucumber shipments rose from 47,266t in 2005 to 50,395t last year. The Greenery is working on new varieties and is optimistic some will be available in UK supermarkets in the near future.
Exporters say that they need to stay one step ahead as competition is increasing from Poland, particularly on value tomatoes, while Israel is increasing its premium pepper output.
VALSTAR LAUNCHES NEW BRAND
Valstar Holland has launched Via Nova, its new brand. The brand, which when translated means ‘new road’, stands for transparency, involvement and total quality.
“Valstar Holland has realised new roads for both sourcing and marketing fresh produce,” explains the company’s Fleur Vreugdenhil. “With Via Nova, we have acquired a clear market niche.”
All Via Nova products, which consist mainly of Dutch salads, are supplied by Valstar’s own growers. The first Via Nova aubergines are currently available and more of the salad range will be exported as the season progresses.
ROYAL VAN NAMEN COURTS MORE UK BUYERS
Royal van Namen has high expectations for Cosberg, its new salad variety. This variety is a cross between Cos and iceberg lettuce, says Royal Van Namen’s Pieter de Ruiter.
The firm has also increased its plantings of baby leaf spinach and has invested in a new salad packing line.
“There’s an extending machine in the packing line which dries the spinach before it’s put into a flow pack. The product is therefore stronger and has a longer shelf life of a minimum five days,” de Ruiter says.
Sources expect stronger demand for pre packed salads both in the Netherlands and the UK. Baby leaf spinach, coloured Romaine and Cos salads are performing well and de Ruiter says the tendency is for growers to produce younger leaves as opposed to the bulky heads of the past.
Holland’s main competitors are the UK, Belgium and Germany. However, de Ruiter credits Dutch producers with growing high-quality, clean product. “We can also be very flexible when prices are changing or the demand or market situations fluctuate,” he says.
