At Staay Food Group in Venlo, both the Dutch greenhouse strawberry season and the asparagus season kicked off last week. According to Christoph Jöris, product manager for soft fruit, volumes are now picking up significantly. Staay has committed nearly 90 hectares to strawberry cultivation, with the bulk of production coming from growing partner Brookberries in Belfeld.
"The greenhouse strawberry season started two weeks ago with sky-high prices, but they were far too high for the free market. In the meantime, strawberry prices have come under pressure and are dropping daily," Christoph says. "Demand is still relatively low, which is not unusual for mid-March. Due to persistent rain in Spain, countries like Greece and Italy are sending large volumes of strawberries to the Netherlands and Germany. As a result, there is currently an abundance of Italian strawberries, making sales more challenging."
Christoph Jöris
"The outlook for later in the season is positive, though. In week 15, there will still be plenty of strawberries available, but availability in week 16 will be much tighter, as most volumes have already been sold ahead of Easter week," Christoph explains. Staay is currently offering the varieties Lady Emma, Sonsation, Inspire, and Fandango from Dutch greenhouses. Later on, Elsanta, Opera, and Favori will be added to the assortment. In four weeks, the supply will be expanded with the arrival of Clery and Falco varieties from German open-field and tunnel cultivation.
"With our strawberries, we serve food service, processing, wholesale, and retail customers alike. In recent years, the volume of greenhouse strawberries has grown significantly. Due to climate-related damage to open-field cultivation, every available euro is being invested in protected cultivation—whether in greenhouses, tunnels, or elevated racks," Christoph adds. Another trend he points out is the increasing cultivation of everbearers. "Instead of the traditional Elsanta peak in April and May, this helps to flatten production peaks and results in a more consistent supply from April to October. From a marketing perspective, this is a very healthy development."
At Staay, greenhouse strawberries are packed under the Nero house brand as a standard, but customized packaging is also available to meet individual customer needs.
Promising asparagus pre-season
The asparagus season has also resumed. From week 11, the first asparagus from heated cultivation became available. "We expect the traditionally cultivated asparagus to hit the market from week 16. The season for fans of the 'white gold' will again run until 24 June," said Johan Wiersma, who is responsible for asparagus at the Venlo branch. "After the extreme season in 2024, we are looking forward to a more stable 2025 season. The preseason, in any case, looks promising."
Local Dutch growers from Limburg, along with growers from Belgium and Germany, ensure that the asparagus is of high quality and always freshly harvested. Thanks to the established acreage, Staay Food Group can deliver homegrown asparagus to customers within just 24 hours of harvest.
Johan Wiersma
Asparagus is typically packed in blue EPS crates, partly under Staay's house brand RijnStar. In addition, Staay Food Group supplies customized products from Venlo based on customer specifications. This season, all grades and colors are available. "From week 16, peeled asparagus will also be available in addition to open-field asparagus, especially for our food service clients. With our broad assortment and flexible packaging options, we can meet the needs of all our customer segments."
"Out of season, we have white asparagus from the Netherlands available at least until August. After that, we switch to white asparagus from Peru and green asparagus from various countries. This way, asparagus remains a part of our product range all year round."
For more information:
Christoph Jöris / Johan Wiersma
Staay Food Group
Venrayseweg 162
5928 RH Venlo
Tel: +31 (0)77 389 6665
Christoph.Joris@staay.nl
johan.wiersma@staay.nl
www.staay.nl