“We noticed our Germany customers are constantly looking for new products. Everyone already has standard products. That’s why we’ve seen demand for coloured snack tomatoes and other tomato specialities rising. In the past, we exported primarily beefsteak and vine tomatoes, but our customers are starting to increasingly work with more special products,” says Barry Michiels of Gebroeders Michiels.
Competing with Spanish and Moroccan product more
According to the exporter, demand for Belgian greenhouse vegetables is getting in its stride. “Demand for bell peppers and aubergine is starting well, and we already have an enormous supply of cucumbers right now,” Barry says. “We have tomatoes year-round, and non-illuminated tomatoes are now arriving on the market. Supply increases every day, and we can compete more and more with Spanish and Moroccan product.”
Good winter season
“We’ve had a good winter period. The three products we mostly exported were leek, sprouts and lamb’s lettuce. Supply was enormous, and we managed to sell a lot of leek because of that. Yet we noticed our German customers prefer local product over foreign products. In shops, for example, German vegetables are more expensive than Belgian vegetables, despite the Flandria quality we supply,” Barry continues.
Organic
“Demand for organic products increases every year. That’s much more alive in Germany than in Belgium, despite rising supplies. I expect demand for organic to rise even more in future, and that’s why it’s important to anticipate this, and to have a larger organic range,” Barry concludes.
For more information:
Barry Michiels
Gebroeders Michiels
Pastoor Pitetlaan 43
3130 Begijnendijk Belgium
+32 475 26 24 82
[email protected]
www.gebroedersmichiels.be