At the end of last year, Exsa Europe launched a separate soft fruit branch, Exsa Berries. Laurens Snijders, well experienced in the soft fruit business, was recruited to set this up. Now, the first Exsa Berries products are being marketed.
Laurens Snijders
"I was talking to Exsa Europe's Eddy Kreukniet. He told me about wanting to start this separate soft fruit branch to complement the existing product portfolio, with grapes and citrus as the main products. One thing led to another. My knowledge and expertise are mainly in soft fruit sourcing. Exsa has an existing sales network to provide customers with soft fruit year-round. Generally, a great combination", says Laurens.
According to him, a dedicated berry branch is a must. "Blueberries alone have a multitude of varieties nowadays. It requires the necessary expertise to advise customers properly about the right variety of the right origin at the right time. For that, you have to be involved with the product every day. With Exsa Berries, that's possible, and Exsa Europe's sales and finance departments support me."
"We want to offer soft fruit year-round, also from own production, eventually. Blueberries will form the main part, but we also want to take steps in other soft fruits. For example, we currently have a first with Egyptian raspberries. The organization is only just starting, but the first signs are very positive," says Laurens.
"We're currently in the blueberry transitional phase. Chile's season is ending, and Morocco and Spain's big volumes will only begin coming in at the end of February. In the last weeks of a season, quality always poses a big challenge. The necessary know-how comes into play here, too."
Laurens does not believe the vast global planting will lead to a structural market surplus. "The market keeps growing. Partly due to the larger packaging units, consumption will continue increasing. A lot of 125g packages are still used. But 200-250g is now standard, and there are many 500g+ package sizes too," he concludes.
For more information:
Laurens Snijders
Exsa Berries
Tel: +31 (0) 682 099 256
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.exsaberries.com
