The opportunities in the North American soft fruit market have been clear to Marc van Gennip for a few years now, but unfortunately, so have the challenges: it would take the supplier of soft fruit plants at least 5 years to get a foothold with their current variety offering. Thanks to recently obtained permits and an agreement with Great Northern Hydroponics (part of Soave Enterprise), the Canadian cultivation company of Guido van het Hof, the future looks very different and they can kick off the Canadian branch of Genson Quality Plants. "The quality of our young plants can make the difference for many strawberry growers."
Strawberry Market
"The strawberry market is going through the roof. In the Leamington area alone, a lot of farms are entering the strawberry market, and like everything else here, it's going right away in big numbers: 15 acres, 25 acres," Marc says. "Companies are being converted and new greenhouses are being added." In the sector, he says, there is also room for improvement, both in terms of cultivation techniques and in terms of starting materials. "At Genson, we are used to supplying strong varieties and raising plants with a lot of vigor in them. This also helps growers here to get through the season stronger."
For a few years now, Marc has therefore been involved in the North American market - but getting started there has not proved to be a piece of cake. "We work with a limited number of varieties in Europe and we wanted to bring them to North America. Yet, it takes two years before you get a variety out of quarantine. Assume that of your ten imported plants, there are only four left by then. By the time you have finally built up a population, five years have passed."
Now the company has obtained an import and an export license, which means they can fly certified plant material from various European breeding programs without quarantine. "That means we can fly over new varieties introduced in the Netherlands. This allows us to set up a large acreage of strawberry plants much faster, of the quality we are used to. And phytosanitary-wise, there is no longer an obstacle to exporting to North America."
Cuttings
Currently, thanks to these developments, there are 1.5 hectares of Genson's hanging cuttings in Canadian greenhouses. In the coming year, another 3.5 hectares will be added. For this purpose, a partnership has been established with Guido van het Hof of Great Northern Hydroponics. Together, they form a joint venture and will grow strawberry plants under the name Genson Quality Plants. First in a rented greenhouse, and later on in their own nursery.
And not only that: Great Northern is also the first customer of the new plant nursery. The Kingsville-based company has been growing a variety of greenhouse vegetables since 1998. Over the last months, 25 of their 60 acres of greenhouse have already been converted for strawberries, for which Genson will supply the plants. The other 45 acres will also be converted in phases, with the first step taking place in May 2022. "The growth potential of the strawberry market is huge, for the Canadian market," Marc explains. "But you're also close to the U.S. border here. Within a night's drive, you're in New York, and in other regions, the demand for strawberries and strawberry plants is also high."
Everbearers
Marc explains that the biggest share of strawberry plants will be delivered in September. "For us, that crop starts in mid-June when you start taking cuttings. Then, there are 8 weeks until about September to root them, after which they are planted in the greenhouse ." Unlike in the Netherlands, where Genson mainly focuses on the June-bearers, in North America, the company opts for the everbearers. "The climate here is different: in terms of light level, you're at the height of Barcelona, Rome, or Detroit. Comparable to northern Spain, even. With these light amounts, propagation is rapid. This allows us to make numbers more quickly. Yet, it also affects the cultivation: we started with ever bearers and that went surprisingly well."
Instead of the usual Albion variety in the Canadian market, Genson chooses to grow a number of varieties, including the programs of FlevoBerry, NiabEMR , CIV, etc . "This spring we expect to have 60,000 plants of each variety in production. We have imported five varieties and with that, we are specializing directly on substrate cultivation." He sees that there is already a lot of demand for this among customers. "The frigoplants and field propagation will also go out in North America in time, we expect. This is also happening in Germany and the Netherlands: cultivation is shifting to substrate. We operate in a growing market where there is demand for a quality product, and we can deliver that. Of course, we would have preferred to be here a year earlier, but now we face the market with confidence."
For more information:
Marc van Gennip
Genson Quality Plants Canada
T +31 (0)413-209254
marcvangennip@genson.com
www.genson.com