Netherlands: “Flowpack must indicate better-quality cucumber”

A cucumber in a flowpack. That’s what Dutch cucumber seller Kompany will be marketing this season. The cucumber must have longer shelf life than other fresh cucumbers, and thus taste better. That is the basic idea the flowpack must make clear to consumers. It’s also the way Kompany wants to distinguish itself: "We do not want the price to be the focal point, but the quality."

"In cucumbers there is little distinction. There are some modest initiatives now and then, but to really stand out is hard," says Huub Welles of Kompany. To be distinctive, Kompany offers a cucumber in a flowpack. It is not so much the packaging, but to show that there is another, more delicious cucumber inside of it, because it stays fresh longer. "Within class 1 there is much distinction. We can achieve a better, fresher and tastier product then the one in the supermarket. This we underline with the flowpack."

So how does putting a cucumber in such a pack result in better quality? The shelf life of a flowpack is similar to that of a sealed cucumber. "But the shelf life of a sealed cucumber is often used up in the chain,” says Welles. "That's why we want to communicate directly to retailers, that we can optimize the chain through a new package. Then there is a fresher cucumber in the store." As a producer’s collective, Kompany wants to negotiate with retailers. "By working together, the chain can become more transparent."

In the gardens of Wijnen Square Crops. On the left (…), on the right Huub Welles

“The improved freshness of the flowpack, is something that we’d like to make clear to the customer. It's a way to stand out in the shelf."

The Flowpacker

Huub Welles with Peter Bungenberg at the Fruit Logistica in Berlin

Like to see the Flowpacker in action? See here en here to view the videos.

For more information:
Kompany
Venrayseweg 182
5928 RH VENLO
Telefoon: +31 (0)77 – 3961980
Fax: +31 (0)77 – 3961989
[email protected]
www.kompany.nl