Last Friday (17 April), growers' association Purple Pride celebrated its 30th anniversary with all growers, cultivation staff, chain partners, and suppliers. The theme of this anniversary year is '30 years of eggplant'. With Pleun van Duijn, one of the founding members, we look back and ahead.
© Coöperatie Growers United U.A.
"We started in 1996 with five members covering a total area of 9.5 hectares. At the time, auctions were merging, and we felt aubergine was not receiving enough attention, packaging was inadequate, and quality was not being rewarded. It was not market-oriented. Many things were not to our satisfaction. That is when we joined forces under the motto 'strong together'," Pleun recalls.
© Coöperatie Growers United U.A.
Cheers, Pleun!
A few per cent growth every year
The collaboration can be described as a real success story, as over three decades, the growers, now three cultivation companies with a combined area of 80 hectares, have built a strong position in the market. "We never expanded explosively, but grew by a few per cent every year," Pleun explains. "During that time, we expanded with customers in Europe and the U.S. We now serve all markets and retailers in Europe through our chain partners. The U.S. remains a niche market where the Purple Pride brand is specifically in demand."
The majority of Purple Pride's eggplants are sold through supermarkets. "We have invested heavily in getting closer to the customer with our marketing cooperative. Our supply chains are extremely short, so we pack everything in the retailer's final packaging," Pleun says. "We also supply the day trade and food service through chain partners, but retail is by far the main segment."
© Coöperatie Growers United U.A.
Eggplant
Over the years, Purple Pride has developed several consumer campaigns. One of these introduced the term Aubergination, highlighting the versatility of aubergine, its place in global cuisine, and the wide range available. "We are doing a lot to stimulate consumption. In the Netherlands, average consumption is now one eggplant per household, which shows that many people still do not eat them. However, I am optimistic about growth potential; the trend towards less meat is definitely working in our favour," Pleun says.
The growers' association offers a range of types, colours, and shapes, such as Graffiti, Palada, and mini eggplants. "The Graffiti aubergine is now a regular feature in a number of stores, and we also have several regular customers for it in North America. The round aubergine Palada, which we developed together with Rijk Zwaan, is now available at Albert Heijn XL and is slightly sweeter. The mini aubergine remains a small segment," says the grower.
© Coöperatie Growers United U.A.Congratulations from Growers United
Year-round cultivation a challenge
A major challenge is maintaining the same high-quality eggplants year-round. "When we enter the market in week 10, we immediately capture a large share, but winter remains challenging," Pleun says. "Our objective is still to achieve year-round availability, either with product from the south or through lighting. We have used lighting for several years, but the aubergine plant does not respond sufficiently. However, with different lighting systems and techniques, this may become possible in the future. Another option is cultivation in a country such as Spain, but we see little value in low-tech production, as we want to guarantee the same quality as our Dutch aubergines. Trials are ongoing with Growers United."
© Coöperatie Growers United U.A.
Another challenge is achieving 100 per cent sustainable cultivation. Luuk van Duijn is involved in the 100% Green Grown project. "We are very close to pesticide-free cultivation. If we succeed, it would be a major step, as it can also strengthen our commercial story," says Pleun. "The advantage of a pilot like this is that after a successful trial, we can quickly implement it across the entire association. This is how Greenbrothers is now taking up this trial." An earlier attempt at ecological cultivation proved unsuccessful. "Eggplants do not grow well in soil. So that approach did not work either, but we learned a great deal from it," the grower notes.
© Coöperatie Growers United U.A.
Martin van der Sande (New Green) and Joost van der Voort (QPI)
New goals every time
Asked about the strength of Purple Pride, Pleun highlights the sense of unity. "We are a strong group, we work well together, and we support each other. Over the past thirty years, we have always had the same focus, with aubergine at the centre, while each company continued strengthening its own operations. The positive aspect is that new goals kept emerging. We have continuously developed by investing in innovation and responding to changing customer and consumer demand. The next generation is already stepping into various companies. Whether Purple Pride will still exist in 30 years is hard to say, but we will continue building a sustainable future for aubergine regardless."
Purple Pride is part of Cooperative Growers United UA, which is responsible for all sales and marketing of the product.
For more information:
Purple Pride
Honderdland 899
2676 LV Maasdijk
Tel.: +31 (0) 174 238 000
[email protected]
www.purplepride.nl
