The Greenery has recently seen a significant increase in Inspire strawberry sales. These popular strawberries are now being sold in the Netherlands, England, Scandinavia, and the Middle East, and further growth is anticipated. The Dutch sales organization plans to scale up the Inspire strawberry platform in the coming years.
"The Greenery continually focuses on innovation and variety development. With Inspire, a strawberry variety developed in collaboration with the American breeding company Plant Sciences Inc., The Greenery aims to set a new market standard for quality and flavor," the company states.
Winning product features
An increasing number of The Greenery growers cultivate Inspire strawberries. They are enthusiastic about the product features and its production performance. "Inspire strawberries ensure labor efficiency of more than 15% in my cultivation company," says Jan van Meer (Meerfruit).
Lilian (Kwekerij Rijnland) adds: "These strawberries also have a high disease tolerance. Plus, the variety has a constant harvest pattern with exceptionally high picking performance. The very high percentage of class I fruit (> 95 %) reflects that. It's suitable for robotic harvesting, too."
Exclusive rights
As in the past five years, The Greenery will be the exclusive rights holder for producing the Inspire variety in the Benelux in 2024. That means, this year, all of these strawberries grown from the region will be sold via The Greenery.
"We're pleased with Inspire strawberries' success in Europe. That not only confirms our commitment to innovation but also our ability to cultivate market-oriented crops while continuously focusing on the desired return for our growers," says David Markowski, The Greenery's CEO.
Scaling up platform via partnership with (glass vegetable) growers
Due to increasing demand, The Greenery is scaling up the Inspire cultivation platform. Besides close collaboration with a select number of plant nurseries and breeders, they are looking for driven growers. Klaas de Jager (agronomist, The Greenery): “In addition to strawberry growers, there are many opportunities for glass vegetable growers."
"They can fully or partially switch to growing Inspire strawberries. These growers have the necessary experience and the right options for climate control within their greenhouses. With the arrival of the Inspire variety, its cultivation method, and labor profile, glass vegetable growers can switch to strawberry cultivation more easily than before.”
The Greenery invites growers to join their trading organization. One that is dedicated to return, sustainability, and innovation. With access to the European (retail) market, sales and distribution support, and access to SIG&F, The Greenery offers commercial prospects for their business.
"We strongly believe in transparent partnerships with growers and retailers and the power of the collective. By working with passionate growers, we can increase the Inspire strawberry supply and contribute to future-proofing farms," David explains.
Inspire strawberry cultivation sub-licences
Aside from becoming a member, The Greenery is now issuing sub-licenses for Inspire strawberry cultivation. That allows third-party growers to grow these strawberries in the Benelux through a license fee model. Discussions are underway with various growers, and the first cultivation companies will start using this option in 2024.
For more information:
The Greenery
1 Spoorwegemplacement
2991 VT, Barendrecht, NL
[email protected]
www.thegreenery.com