In the magazine, Boer & Tuinder, growers Charlotte Wils and Jens Peeters share a tale of Valentine's Day tomatoes. The growers are currently occupied with constructing a greenhouse while also taking over another one. They managed to take over from the growers Leo Verdonck and Marja van Dessel. Now, in the village of Vremde (The Netherlands), they are in the midst of their second cultivation cycle. Their greatest asset is flexibility in the retail sector.
"We took over the shares and staff of Den Boschkant and aimed to continue its operations as much as possible. This meant we also had to engage in existing commitments, such as membership of the cooperative BelOrta. We had never grown for a cooperative before, so it was quite an adjustment. Our main concern was losing the connection with the retail sector because we are quite proud of our product and want to know where it ends up. What is the end customer's feedback? Is there a demand for a different type of tomato? Since we cultivate more in a specialty (thus smaller) segment, direct contact is still feasible within the cooperative. We have a very pleasant collaboration with BelOrta, they especially relieve us in the field of logistics and finance.”
Read the full story here (in Dutch)
