A few years ago, Jos Ruiter AGF got the chance to acquire a horticultural company in Wervershoof, the Netherlands. This is about one kilometer from a large wholesale market. By now, the finishing touches are being made to this new location, where they will process mainly onions and carrots.
"There's plenty of room at this new site. It spans four hectares, so we can fully develop further. With a new warehouse with five docks and a new refrigeration system, we'll soon be fully equipped," says Jos Ruiter, who mainly focuses on buying the onions and carrots, while his son Marcel takes care of overall purchasing and sales.
"All our clients are in the Netherlands. Trade also crosses the border via exporters, but we're very oriented towards Dutch fruit and vegetable wholesalers. Onions are our mainstay, and that business is growing briskly. We do a lot of field onions, which we sell in all kinds of packaging, from 500 grams to 25 kilograms. We process about as many red as yellow onions. We also wash winter onions. And, as wholesalers, we carry the entire package of open-field vegetables."
"Winter carrot prices are holding up quite well. Onion prices were under a little more pressure recently, but those have shot up again. There are reportedly far fewer onions available in Europe, but you still need buyers to actually make that high price. Everyone had sky-high expectations before the season, but it's still a case of 'seeing is believing," Jos concludes.
For more information:
Jos Ruiter AGF
1 Groothandelsmarkt
1681 NN, Zwaagdijk, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 228 564 207
Email: [email protected]