Most carrot traders have no other products in their trade portfolios. "It's such a specific job you genuinely don't have time for other things," says André Louwerse of Fa. André Louwerse Wortelen in the Netherlands. "There used to be three of us in this area. There are a few more now, but some commission agents are dropping out. It's not for everyone. It's not really a job, it's a calling."
© Louwerse WortelenCaroline and André Louwerse
André has answered this calling for more than 30 years. He started as a carrot trader employee in 1989, founding his own business five years later. He knows the growers and the customers. "When I visit growers' barns, I can already see which processor or end client the batch will suit. It's all about girth, length, variety, and quality. We only do the trading; sorting and packaging are our buyers' responsibility," he says.
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Some advice
Annually, André trades carrots from about 600 hectares. "Obviously from several growers. Some have cooling facilities; others sell their carrots directly from the field to buyers. There aren't fewer growers; their numbers remain fairly constant. Until two years ago, I grew carrots myself, so I know how to maximize the yield to 90 or even 100 tons per hectare. Giving advice is part of my job, and the growers certainly appreciate it."
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With his two daughters' help
André's two daughters, Caroline and Judith, have since joined the company. "Business was dead in 2021/2022, my first season in the family business. That was my baptism of fire. Two wonderful years followed, and this season is, once again, challenging," says Caroline. The company is almost always busy. "There are only six weeks when sales dip. All the cold stores are empty, and we have to wait for the new harvest. But even then, we still do some importing. From Spain or France, depending on what's available."
© Louwerse WortelenNerac
About 95% of the carrots Fa. André Louwerse Wortelen trades are destined for the fresh market. "Most Dutch growers cultivate the Nerac variety. These carrots are beautifully shaped. You can store those grown in the polders' clay soil in cold stores until June," André explains. The colored carrots' market share is probably less than one percent.
© Louwerse WortelenNerac young crop
"Carrots, bushes, and parsnips also comprise a tiny share of our assortment. Besides Nerac storage carrots, we offer CD carrots – the large carrots – and beautiful early varieties in both B carrots and CD carrots. Early varieties are processed after harvesting and are available from late June," Caroline concludes.
Fa. André Louwerse Wortelen