“It’s noticeable that red radish sprouts have recently been selling very well. This is fairly remarkable, because leek sprouts have been the absolute number one in sales for years. Some major customers currently even buy as many red radish as leek sprouts,” says Wim Bouden of Kiem-X. “I’ve noticed that a number of radish varieties that are even cheaper than the red radish do quite a bit worse, but that’s personal preference. Familiarity plays a major role for the popularity of vegetable sprouts. Vegetable sprouts are a niche product, and I think a lot of people couldn’t even mention three different vegetable sprouts.”
Holidays
The grower and trader sees sales of vegetable sprouts increasing around the holidays every year. “Leek sprouts in particular do well every holiday, Easter included, but the red radish sprouts will probably also do well this year,” Wim continues. “Each country has its favourite vegetable sprouts. Leek sprouts aren’t even part of the assortment in the US, while it’s an absolute number one in Belgium. We’ve also had new varieties in our range, but we noticed the top eight of the products continues to be the most popular.”
Future
“Although the vegetable sprout market is a niche market, I’ve seen the company grow a little each year. That’s also why we decided to expand in the future. The land adjacent to the company has already been bought, and we also want to start offering micro-greens (cresses) to our customers. Despite the small market, it’s an incredibly fun market with a unique and beautiful product. It’s great to be active on this market, and to work on the familiarity of the products. We definitely still have a lot of plans for the future,” Wim concludes.
For more information:
Wim Bouden
Kiem-X
Peperhol 6
9850 Nevele - Belgium
M: +32 472 70 39 54
F: +32 93 36 23 25
wim.bouden@kiem-x.be
www.kiem-x.be