Mother's Day traditionally marks a bustling period in the sprout vegetables sector. The fine weather makes its appearance, and summer is on the horizon. In Flanders, this means time for holidays, barbecues, and communions. "Mother's Day actually comes at just the right time, as since yesterday the weather here has been beautiful, and sales have turned around for us," shares Wim Bouden from Kiem-X.
"Of course, we've had quite a wet period leading up to now," he continues. "That always dampens our sales. Around the December holidays, many opt for sprout vegetables at their dinners, but in the months that follow, we're essentially waiting for the good weather and summer. When the sun starts shining, the celebrations begin, where sprout vegetables are a highly sought-after product. Traditionally, this is always around the end of April/beginning of May, but this year, the sunshine was just a bit tardy."
Now, things have truly kicked off for the trader, who has been affiliated with BelOrta since the start of this year. "Since yesterday, the weather here has been lovely, and sales have immediately started to climb. Finally, we have the sales we should have had for several weeks now. Sales with many customers have immediately doubled or even tripled compared to last Wednesday. Especially customers along the coast and in retail are present in large numbers. Let's hope it continues like this for the rest of May," Wim laughs.
"For now, it certainly seems to be the case. Very good weather is forecasted here until Monday. That's of course ideal for the extended weekend with Ascension Day and Mother's Day. After that, we can directly transition into the Pentecost weekend. May is typically our best month, as it's the first time people can take out their barbecues, and they do so eagerly. Naturally, the summer months remain a busy period traditionally, but you see that Father's Day seems to be celebrated a bit less here in Flanders, so we see slightly fewer peaks in June."
Regarding bestsellers, the trader sees a continuing trend of traditional products. "There's little change, unfortunately. Sometimes you wish that other products, like broccoli and garlic sprouts, would take off, but it's still the classics that are in high demand. Think of leek, red radish, and red beet sprouts. Unfortunately, we're still somewhat stuck in a certain stigma, where new products are harder to sell. The summer period has definitely started, and we continue to work on the development of new products with which we hope to surprise people."
For more information:
Wim Bouden
Kiem-X
Peperhol 6
9850 Deinze, Belgium
+32 472-703954
[email protected]
www.kiem-x.be