"The demand for redcurrant is gradually increasing every week towards the holidays. The redcurrant is used both for consumption and decoration during Christmas dinner. Its fresh-sour flavor is a bold counterpart to many savory and sweet dishes," says Nijs van Zuilen of Berrybrothers.
The red currant has broad sales. Both catering and retail at home and abroad are important sales channels. During the December month, extra attention value is added by providing packaging with a personal message.
According to the grower, the quality of the redcurrants from cold storage is optimal. "With innovations in cultivation aimed at storage qualities, much better quality is maintained in the cold store. These innovations are starting to pay off. In recent years, we have focused on moving as many plants as possible from the open ground into pots. Currently, the majority of redcurrants are in pots. This allows a more targeted application of water and nutrients. This is then absorbed many times more efficiently by the bush, resulting in a high-quality harvest. Among other things, it is clearly noticeable that the stem quality of bunches has improved."
"Also, much more effort is put into crop maintenance during the season. Think of topping, bending out, and breaking away steep branches. This creates a more open crop where the sun has better access," Nijs says. With good quality storage, he expects to be able to deliver from his own cold stores until the end of March/beginning of April. The period before their own harvest starts again will be filled with service products from Chile.
To provide further redcurrant destinations, Berrybrothers started selling soft fruit from fellow growers in the off-season several years ago. "This provides the customer with a year-round supply of fresh soft fruit. It also allows us to supply customers at longer distances with a complete range of soft fruit."
Berrybrothers actively focuses on recipe inspiration with its website https://fans.berrybrothers.nl. Here you can find many recipes with the redcurrant as the main event.
For more information:
Nijs van Zuilen 
Berrybrothers
Nijken 18
6088 NR Roggel
+31 (0)6 46708453
n.vanzuilen@berrybrothers.nl
www.berrybrothers.nl