At Fresh2You, the Moroccan sprout season has kicked off. "We are selling the last Dutch sprouts this week, ensuring a seamless transition to the Moroccan season," says Menno Molenaar. "The Netherlands, as well as Belgium and the UK, have all reached the end of their seasons. This means there are no large leftover stocks, which brings stability to the market."
"We look back on a challenging but successful Dutch season. Yields were reasonable, even for the later varieties, and we consistently saw more demand than supply," Menno says. "Of course, sprout sales are quite weather-dependent, and with the warm weather last weekend, there was an immediate drop in sales. But as soon as colder weather returns, the market picks up again."
More and more southern European countries turning to sprouts
"At Fresh2You, we've seen significant growth in the sprout category, and we're also expanding our market with our Moroccan crop. We supply the same customers with Moroccan sprouts as we do with Dutch sprouts. The market for summer sprouts is showing a slight upward trend, and we see more and more markets embracing our concept of year-round, ready-to-eat sprouts. Southern European countries, particularly Spain and Italy, are increasingly turning to sprouts, but we also sell large volumes in Eastern Europe, the UK, France, Scandinavia, and—last but not least—the Dutch market," Menno continues.
Manual harvest
Cultivation in Morocco is progressing well, and the initial results are promising. "Whether we'll reach the desired yields remains to be seen by the end of June," says the sprout seller. Harvesting in Morocco is still done by hand and, according to Menno, that won't change. "In Morocco, we harvest several times from each plant, just as it used to be done in the Netherlands. This traditional handwork ensures optimal quality. Morocco has an anti-cyclical growing season, and to guarantee the best quality throughout the supply chain, we've deliberately kept the harvest manual. This prevents mechanical damage and results in better product presentation. The entire supply chain is kept as short as possible to ensure optimal shelf life."
Whereas a few years ago novelties like Kalettes and purple sprouts were frequently introduced, Fresh2You has chosen to focus primarily on its core business. "When these varieties first came on the market, chefs and retailers showed a lot of enthusiasm, but as soon as sales figures disappointed, they quickly dropped them again. For us, this was a reason to concentrate our efforts on green sprouts. We're also not involved in selling organic sprouts. That's a very specialized crop and really a different ballgame altogether."
Moroccan sprouts are not yet permitted for export to North America, but in recent years, Fresh2You has regularly exported Dutch sprouts to the States. "There are also considerable volumes of frozen sprouts being shipped from Europe to North America. The question is what impact the announced import duties will have. The same goes for countries like Mexico and Guatemala, which grow sprouts for the North American and Canadian markets. It's bound to have an effect—although, as the saying goes, the soup is rarely eaten as hot as it's served," Menno concludes.
For more information:
Menno Molenaar
Fresh2You
Transportweg 19
2991 LV Barendrecht
Tel: +31 (0)6 5325 2597
m.molenaar@fresh2you.nl
www.fresh2you.nl