"NL: "Conquer preferred position with our own laber"

"In fact, So Unique came about through a bit of annoyance," Geert Bouten acknowledges. "I do not like that bell pepper is a block product. If your quality is 8, you are paid just as much as when your quality is 5.5. As a grower you can do two things: go for a 5.5, or you do it differently, we chose the latter. We deliver top quality and do not want to compete on price." Since last year, So Unique peppers has been in front of the clock at ZON fruit & vegetables.

Sounds nice and the logo and the packing look beautiful, but what actually is the difference in quality? Geert is taking several steps to make this difference. One of them is the choice for pepper variety Arietta from Syngenta. He saw this variety two years ago at a colleague-grower and he was impressed. This year, Arietta is on a part of his acreage for the second year.

Geert cultivates in two greenhouses. One for himself under his label, and one for wholesale PEQ. In one greenhouse the variety is on 3 stalks, in the other on 4. "The choice for a specific green variety is already important in this market," Geert says. "You see too often that it's about price and that red varieties are harvested green. We do not want that." We want to deliver a quality pepper for which the customer returns. "As the variety colors slowly, it has become Arietta in green."

The size of the fruit also plays an important role. "So Unique we only deliver in the largest sorting, and we want to continue that during summer. We're not looking for the flowpack market." Here Arietta fits in well. "Last year, it was hardly less than 180 grams. You've got to have a higher fruit weight right from the start. That's what the market is asking for," says Geert. "It is also constant in weight, gives fewer 260+ fruits. That’s what I wanted. I had expected the 260+ sorting to be a victim of its own largeness this year, although it is not yet the case. It seems that we will still remain in the large varieties."

Geert Bouten with Peter Colbers in the greenhouse

The Arietta was introduced last year. Peter Colbers of Syngenta tells that the growth force of the variety immediately became evident. "And the Arietta sets quickly, exceptionally so. In spring it has done well thanks to the weather conditions. The Arietta has an enormous restorative ability." Thereby the balance in the plant is important. Where Geert likes to harvest the fruits immediately, it is also possible, according to Peter, to let the fruit hang a little longer and control it. "It retains his quality and does not color through, so you can maintain regularity and evenness in the production."

In the meantime, Bouten and Van den Burg have been working with So Unique for the second year. And does it bring results? It's not easy, the growers remark. "You've built a brand for a few years, and in the beginning of the season, all peppers look good. Only in the second half or after tropical days it becomes exciting. You are aware of that, but you also stand for the quality you deliver," Geert believes. "Still, we spent those first days full of stress in front of the clock," he laughs. "Still it is also sometimes troublesome. We choose to deliver in a 1.5cm higher box. Also that choice comes from the choice for quality. We are sure that the whole pallet will arrive undamaged at the customer. But because of those higher boxes, there are fewer peppers on a pallet. The costs involved are for some buyers a consideration not to buy the brand. At first we found that exciting, but now we also know that these buyers are not suitable for So Unique."