In Belgium, Coöperatie Hoogstraten's strawberry season officially started on Friday. The first strawberry box was auctioned In the presence of the press and interested parties. Marketing Manager Jan Engelen looked back and ahead. "It was a particularly challenging year," he begins.
"The poly crisis led to a decline in growers and sales (- €10 million). We're not worried, though. Fewer growers don't mean less acreage, and after this hard year, we expect sales to bounce back. We're incredibly excited that the new season has finally truly started."
This year is Coöperatie Hoogstraten's 90th anniversary. Reason for a modest celebration, but "the real celebration won't be for another ten years," Jan says. As mentioned, many, including the cooperative, had a particularly difficult year. "The pandemic aftermath, Ukrainian war, energy crisis, and inflation affected our sales."
For example, the cooperative had substantially less winter supply due to the energy crisis and the tomato virus problem. It even had to import produce to keep supplying its customers year-round. Also, merger talks with the REO Auction broke down because, they say, the parties' ideas were still too far apart. "But, these talks should resume sometime in the future," Jan adds firmly.
Coöperatie Hoogstraten's Jan Engelen, Hans Vanderhallen, and Dirk Van den Plas.
Large tomato, bell pepper, and strawberries volumes on the way
According to him, Coöperatie Hoogstraten is an atypical cooperative since it focuses primarily on three products: strawberries, tomatoes, and bell peppers. That made things extra challenging last winter because those products suffered enormously from the energy crisis. That is why, on Friday, there seemed to be a sense of relief at the cooperative.
"Tomatoes are coming back in full production, and we're working with bell peppers again. Strawberries, too, are back. Volumes are still relatively limited, but by Easter, we should be able to offer nice volumes, and in the weeks after, we can get back to full production."
By then, though, Engelen expects some market surplus. "When production should peak, there'll still be plenty of supply in Western and Southern Europe. That won't do prices any good, but fortunately, Belgian retailers are betting a lot on local strawberries and tomatoes," he says.
Group A. De Witte bought the first box of Hoogstraten strawberries.
Cucumbers and TOVs instead of specialties
The cooperative does, however, foresee a shift in its acreage, with strawberries still holding the largest share by far. "Regarding strawberries, we're stable (900 hectares), but there's a shift from June to ever-bearers. That's because of higher energy costs; still, their quantity levels remain the same. But, in tomatoes, many growers want to reduce risks and so focus less and less on specialties."
Coöperatie Hoogstraten's tomato growers have a total of some 193 hectares. "In specialties, virus pressure, and energy prices have shrunk that area by 35 hectares. Less risky TOVs now occupy those. Growers are also increasingly choosing to cultivate cucumbers - which had a great year - and bell peppers," Jan continues. The cooperative's growers cultivate bell peppers on about 112 hectares, while the cucumber acreage rose to 26 hectares.
New to the assortment: mini watermelons
"In the summer, Belgians can enjoy Hoogstraten soft fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and kiwi berries) and cherries too." And since last year, Belgian mini watermelons have been added, grown sustainably and locally at Tomeco. "These come into production in mid-June, and we expect to offer about ten tons per week until late September," Jan predicts.
"It's an alternative along with summer strawberries, and it's being picked up very nicely. Retailers and consumers love this locally-grown watermelon, which requires less water than the Spanish product. Its smaller size makes it very convenient too. That benefits its Brix value, which is on par with the larger sizes, but in a smaller format. So comparatively, it's higher."
Coöperatie Hoogstraten thus wants to leave the tough months behind and look optimistically to the future. "Despite the many challenges facing us, we're investing plenty in the future. The launch of our new extranet for buyers is a great example. By striving to digitize, we're deliberately betting on better, more efficient partnerships, not only with buyers but growers, too," the Marketing Manager says.
"We also want to contribute to a sustainable society by investing in renewable energy. So, in early March, we installed 3,600+ additional solar panels on our warehouses' roofs, more than doubling Coöperatie Hoogstraten's solar power share."
'The Hoogstraten week'
At the marketing level, the cooperative is also doing its utmost to support strawberry promotions and sales. "An anniversary year calls for something special, so in early May, Coöperatie Hoogstraten is having 'The Hoogstraten Week' under the banner 'Hoogstraten... Dan is't goe!' (Hoogstraten...Then it's Good!). For one week, Hoogstraten strawberries will take center stage in Belgians' lives," Jan says.
"A large influencer event will kick that off, and we'll have a brand-new radio spot. Plus, the strawberry packaging will be redesigned, especially for that week. People can use a QR to learn more about the story behind Hoogstraten strawberries and their origin. They can also watch video content on our vlog website. We want to inform and inspire our customers even better."
Achiel De Witte, Hans Vanderhallen and Jan Prinsen in conversation
Friday's official opening went well, Jan adds. "Despite the rainy weather, it was very successful. A wonderful amount of €8,000 was raised for a local youth organization, and there was much interest in the new season. Everyone seems to be very much looking forward to the new local strawberries, as are we, naturally," he concludes.
For more information:
Coöperatie Hoogstraten
59 Loenhoutseweg
2320, Hoogstraten, BE
Tel.: +32 (0) 334 00 211
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hoogstraten.eu