The fact that the Sekoya programme contains some sought-after varieties was evident during the turnout at the Sekoya Field & Forum in Meterik, last Tuesday. Both licensees and retail buyers from various countries tuned up at Fall Creek in Meterik. The visitors were first treated to a visit to the demo field where, among other things, the latest midchill variety Sekoya Fiesta™ 'FC13-113' could be viewed and tasted.
Upon returning to the nursery, Value Chain & Retail Manager Hans Liekens made a presentation on the opportunities of blueberry segmentation. "There are varieties suitable for every moment of consumption, but even in a conservative category like potatoes, people have done a better job of shelf segmentation than in blueberries, even though there are plenty of opportunities for this. After all, you don't want a soft berry for snacking, but is fine for smoothies."
Hans Liekens.
With specific shelves for snacking, flavour lines, breakfast, organic and family packs, Sekoya inspired the attendees. According to Liekens, big opportunities exist in the snack category. "Now, most blueberries are consumed at breakfast, but the snack category is four times larger." With its Livie selection, Sekoya offers a selection of large, crunchy berries as a healthy alternative in the on-the-go category. About the growth of the berry category, he was not worried. "Within three years, blueberries in the UK will exceed bananas in value," he said.
During the forum, Sekoya introduced the Livie™ dispenser, a machine with a cooling unit, where consumers can fill their cup with Sekoya berries. "Because other varieties are too soft for this or cannot be supplied in adequate volumes and year-round quality for this," Liekens stated. The dispenser immediately addresses the newly announced European packaging rules, combats food waste and has a fun element.
The dispenser in action.
Mark David, general manager of Sekoya, then addressed the development of the variety programme. Last year, the Sekoya varieties were planted by the 15 member companies (NorthBay Produce, Alpine Fresh, SanLucar, Surexport/RK Growers, abbGrowers, Joy Wing Mau, Fresh Produce Group, Core, Zur Group, Prize, Agrovision, Agroberries/Berryfresh, Berries Paradise, Rainier Fruit and Mastronardi) in 25 countries on some 2,500 hectares, accounting for a volume of 36,600 tonnes. Some 40% of Sekoya berries are sold in the US, 36% in the European market and 24% in Asia.
David referred to the IBO Industry Report that estimates total blueberry production at 2.4 billion kg by 2024, some 70% of the crop (1.7 billion kg) finds its way into the fresh segment. In five years, the fresh segment is expected to have grown to 2.5 billion kg. The impact of El Niño in Peru last year was huge on blueberry cultivation. David indicated that the latest forecast for the 2024/25 season estimates production to be 38% higher than season 2023/23 and 8% above season 2022/23.
Fred Douven of abbGrowers with Barrie Jones of IPL.
Quality and sustainability manager Estefanía Rodriguez Arquero then toured the Mid- & High chill varieties in the different European growing countries. Harry Hall (Hall Hunter), Carlo Lingua (RK Growers) and George Miclos (Agricrafters) then presented current affairs in their growing regions in a panel discussion. Labour remains a hot topic in cultivation. RK Growers CEO Lingua indicated that Sekoya with its distinctive varieties is the only solution to this. For Miclos, blueberry cultivation is relatively new. The Romanian ran a software company, but was looking for filler in the quiet summer months and thus moved from software into soft fruit two years ago.
The final guest speaker was professor Aedín Cassidy from Queen's University Belfast. She talked about the health benefits offered by the anthocyanins in blueberries. For example, a cup of blueberries three times a week reduces the risk of diabetes 2 by 26% and lowers blood pressure as effectively as blood pressure-lowering drugs. For men who do not have these problems, there was another comforting message: blueberry consumption actually also stimulates erections.
Sekoya members Stefan Spanjaard of Agrovision and Felipe Silva of Zur Group.
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For more information:
Hans Liekens
Sekoya
Tel: +32 477 531 529
[email protected]
www.sekoyafruit.com