"Vertical bundling in the lettuce industry"

Lettuce is sold more and more under a brand. In France, for example, cooperative Prince de Bretagne has grown into a large brand in the French supermarkets and also the Solarenn cooperative is profiling itself more and more as a united name. Florette, supplier of, among other things, lettuce mixes, is another big name that can be found in French supermarkets.

Another trend is that fresh produce traders are going to produce actively. Chris describes that as vertical bundling. Trading company Staay Food Group, for example, started to work on vertical farming of lettuce last year. Chris does not think that it is bad. "There appears to be more appreciation now for the knowledge and expertise of the cultivation side. Besides shorter chains for the leaf crops are essential. We really need that connection with the trade."

Chris Noordam describes TopKrop as a trade nursery. He himself is the second generation in the company that was founded in 1968. Cultivating entirely for the free market, according to Chris, is not an option for the cultivating of leafy vegetables. "If you want to play a significant role, you have to work closely with your end customers. We only harvest at the time of sale. This means that we do not have stock, and fresh is really fresh. It definitely presents a challenge. It requires market insight as well as cultivation experience."

Because customers come with the most diverse orders, TopKrop is challenged to gather a lot of cultivation knowledge. Many tests are carried out with various exclusive varieties for this reason. "It usually takes about five years to master the cultivation process. It all starts with the right seeds. So it's important to have good connections with the right suppliers."

Usually the season at TopKrop lasts from April to October. The long winter has caused the orders to come in later than usual. The experienced grower does not worry about this. "It just makes it lively," he puts it into perspective. "You can plan it very precisely, but the climate is the determining factor for the sales. We track the temperature every day. As soon as it heads towards twenty degrees, the orders trickle in."

TopKrop has a varied customer base and also supplies the catering industry. The lettuce is used for sandwiches and filling of wraps. In addition, Asian leaf crops are still on the rise. "Over the last five years that has increased explosively. The Asian leaf crop is processed in wok packages and the catering industry is also very fond of it."

Overall Chris sees the consumption pattern growing. The younger consumer more often opts for leafy vegetables. For example, spinach is also eaten raw more often. With the extensive assortment the consumer is happy with the variety. There still is a large group of consumers who go for the classic lettuce varieties such as butter lettuce and cabbage lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is still number 1, followed by cabbage lettuce at number 2. Besides, the consumer can choose from a wide assortment varying in taste, color and texture.