"What a great job we have," says John Grootscholten with Daily Fresh when asked how his cultivation is going. Dutch radish growers have been in for a surprise in recent years when it comes to the weather. Will it be ice-skating or T-shirt weather? Not something to worry about, according to John. "You have to be dynamic and anticipate the circumstances. That's also what makes it such a fun job."
"No year is the same and that makes it beautiful and challenging. The heat records at the end of February caused a growth explosion in the greenhouse. Those records from the end of February were a bump in the road, but now everything seems to be stabilizing."
A look in a fresh green greenhouse, ready for spring
Radishes banging on the door
A lot of light in February was welcome for the crop, especially after an extremely dark and wet January. In the packhouse things will get busy again due to the rapid growth. "The radishes enter at one end (from the greenhouse) and have to exit out the other side, in any packaging that's available. In the spring, the radish doesn't come quietly, it's really pounding on the door. It's a challenge, but very fun. Call it healthy stress."
New weighing tower to mix
A new addition to the warehouse is a weighing tower that mixes red and white radishes. "There was more and more demand for this mix of red and white, so we decided to purchase an extra weighing tower for this purpose. It has two conveyor belts and a computer that maintains the best combinations of red and white for 250 gram bags."
Photo right: 250 gram bags
John says they listen to what the customer wants. They sell bunches of radishes in every type of packaging you can imagine. "Also loose radishes from conical bags to 10 kg bales and everything in between. There is tons of variation, with white tipped radishes, white radishes and icicle radishes along with the red ones."
Daily Fresh Radish continues to evolve along with their customers. "For us, twenty customers with a small request add up to larger volumes. That's what it's all about."
Certifications
In addition to their growing range of products, the number of certifications is also increasing. Now there are four, with the PlanetProof certificate that was obtained last year.
For more information:
Daily Fresh Radish B.V.
Hoge Geest 25
2671 LK Naaldwijk
Netherlands
www.dailyfreshradish.nl
John: 0031 (0)6 51 59 28 38
Dennis: 0031 (0)6 54 24 44 14
F: 0031 (0)174 64 10 79
E: [email protected]