Other European countries plan fixed young coconut programs throughout the year. However, demand in the Dutch retail sector usually only gets started once summer begins.
"These last few weeks have been the bit of calm before the storm. We have since seen the demand rise again. Toward summer, the supply becomes increasingly scarce. Prices are also at a higher level," says buyer, Arjen de Haan, of Nature's Pride.
A young coconut is one which outer shell has not yet hardened and darkened. It has a characteristic cylindrical shape with a cut-off point. These young coconuts contain sweet, refreshing coconut water. Its flesh is soft and easy to spoon out.
"Nowadays, about half our selection is made up of young, ready-to-drink coconuts. This summer's prospects look good," says Arjen.
According to him, some countries have markets where there is much more demand for young coconuts year-round. These countries include not only Germany and Denmark but also those in Eastern Europe.
"Fun promotions are often planned in the weeks around Christmas and New Year's. In the Netherlands, demand is far more centered around summer. We then also supply many festival and beach parties via our clients."
Nature's Pride gets most of its coconuts from Thailand. In the summer, this supply is supplemented with Vietnamese product. This is done to meet demand. According to Arjen, Thailand and Vietnam are the leading coconut suppliers on the European market.
"Both of these countries have good markets in the United States too. There you will also find this product from Mexico and Brazil, and even from Florida. But you hardly ever see those coconuts here. We sometimes get some coconuts from Indonesia. But these are not of the same quality as Thai coconuts," he explains.
"In China, the demand for young coconuts exploded a few years ago. Prices rose one-and-a-half to twice as high. Since then, more plantations have been added, mainly in Thailand. This extra volume has caused the market situation to stabilize a little."
"Recently, we have also noticed that more importers have started bringing these young coconuts in on a stable basis. This has matured the market," Arjen concludes.
For more information:
Nature's Pride
611 Honderdland
2676 LV Maasdijk, NL
T: +31 (0) 174 524 248
[email protected]
www.naturespride.eu