At BerryBrothers, the harvest of early redcurrant varieties is nearly complete. "This week we're picking the last of the Junifer, and next week we'll begin harvesting the Rovada," says Nijs van Zuilen. "Demand for redcurrants is remarkably strong. The fact that we're harvesting Junifer earlier each year, and have phased out other early varieties, gives us a bit more breathing room. At this time of year, we often see an oversupply in the market, but that's not the case now. The berries are moving well."
Healthy crop
Redcurrant yields are also strong. "Since spring, the weather has been fairly stable and dry, which has contributed to good yields and quality. Last week brought some very hot days, but we're increasingly able to protect the crop from extreme conditions using irrigation, reflective foil, and keeping the grass high. It all starts with a healthy crop," the grower continues.
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"The difference from last year, when we had a very wet spring, is huge," adds Teun van Zuilen. "The poor weather did cause some fruit splitting here and there, but overall, we would have gladly accepted this outcome from the start. That said, in raspberry cultivation, we did have to remove two days' worth of sunburnt fruit after the heatwave, but after that, things stabilized."
BerryBrothers is currently focused on supplying the retail sector in the Benelux with redcurrants. "Every country in Europe is now producing its own redcurrants, so for the moment, sales remain domestic. In about four or five weeks, demand from German-speaking countries will begin to pick up."
Other soft fruits are also plentiful at the berry specialist. "The raspberry market is known for its fluctuations, regardless of production peaks. Cultivation has expanded quite a bit in recent years, which sometimes leads to tougher sales weeks. Still, raspberries usually pull through because they remain popular in both German-speaking regions and the domestic market," Nijs continues.
Specific demand for Sweet Royalla
"That's different with blackberries, which cater to a more specific customer segment. You don't quickly sell more of them. The cultivation and supply are well balanced. Recently, however, we've seen a notable increase in demand for the Sweet Royalla variety."
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The Dutch blueberry season has also begun. "Sales are going well, but it's crucial to secure your arrangements before the season starts. If you've done that properly, things usually go smoothly. But you shouldn't produce more than you've pre-sold, because if that volume ends up on the free market now, you'll be stuck in a price-driven environment," Nijs adds.
Although mechanical harvesters have been introduced by many Dutch blueberry growers, BerryBrothers still opts for hand-picking. "Technology is advancing quickly, but we still choose hand-picking because we don't want to compromise on quality," says Nijs. "With raspberries, blackberries, and redcurrants, we're still far from adopting machine harvesting. I expect it will take another 15 years before that becomes viable."
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Thirteen certifications
"Luckily, we're seeing more Dutch retailers specifically requesting local products. That's a good thing—why import from far away when it grows right here? We can meet that demand well with Dutch-grown fruit. And with this local focus, supermarkets are choosing food safety, sustainability, and certified products," Teun adds. "Still, certification requires a lot of effort. We recently counted that we're on our way to our thirteenth certificate. It would be helpful to streamline this, as there's clearly an overlap among the various labels."
"Our approach in the coming years is to fully focus on optimizing and making our cultivation more sustainable. We're not aiming for more of the same but for innovation. That's the only way we can stay ahead despite rising costs. We're also exploring new varieties to make production even more efficient. Internally, we call this our 'cultivation of the future' project. It's our way of addressing the sustainability demands of both retailers and consumers. Fortunately, we see retailers becoming more active in sharing growers' stories."
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In the coming weeks, Teun and his brother Gijs van Zuilen will hang out at the soft fruit shelf in all Albert Heijn shops in the Netherlands
In summer, Teun and his brother Gijs van Zuilen are present at the soft fruit section in all Albert Heijn stores in the Netherlands. "We want to be as transparent as possible. That's why we're active on social media and work with influencers—to show people what we're doing. This helps us position ourselves as an attractive employer, but also to share the real story of fruit growing. It's a story you don't always see on talk shows, but we prefer to tell it proactively rather than reactively."
For more information:
Nijs and Teun van Zuilen
BerryBrothers
Nijken 18
6088 NR Roggel
Tel: +31 (0)6 46 70 84 53
[email protected] / [email protected]
www.berrybrothers.nl
