France: Wholesaler’s market Rungis in pictures

On the market in Rungis much attention is given to the way products are presented. “The workmanship and human aspect of the products are better maintained because of that, people stay closer to the source. I saw truly spectacular packaging for strawberries, for example. We hardly see that in Belgium or the Netherlands, most of our products are packaged in plastic. We can learn how to make products even more attractive to customers using packaging.” According to Prinsen the different varieties are also well played out on the strawberry packaging. “I saw many brands, especially Spanish ones. These were packaged into crates of one kilo and were everywhere. I saw one Belgian brand of strawberries, Cebon. Why this is? Perhaps the name Cebon does well in France?” Regarding vegetables, Prinsen saw some other brands, such as Tomabel, Flandria and Stoffels.

Prinsen indicates that certain French regions, such as Brittany and the Provence, make clever use of their name to position their products on the market. “A good example are tomatoes. I saw some of them carrying a sticker with the name of the region on it. I am convinced that the strong brands that survive, are the ones in which the region is also recognised. A good example of this in Belgium is Hoogstraten. Cauliflower from Mechelen also has added value for many buyers. Perhaps it could be interesting to create a brand for Limburg asparagus, a region brand that could be used for both Dutch and Belgian producers. This could be a success both nationally and internationally.”

Rungis recently acquired a new hall with purely organic products. This hall sends a clear signal that organic products are becoming increasingly important, not only in the fruits and vegetables sector but also in other fresh sectors. The quality of certain products was promising for the future.

Prinsen concludes: “By visiting this beautiful, large market, I became more enthusiastic to promote more fresh products, and to work on optimising and improving certain packaging and brands. I definitely belief there are possibilities for developing regional brands for Belgian and Dutch products. People wishing to know more about this can always contact me.”