The Gijbels family from Belgium has three fresh produce companies: two wholesalers in Belgium and a cultivation and trading company in Spain. Add to that, a transport company with 45 refrigerated trucks, and it becomes apparent that Euro Gijbels is active throughout Europe, regarding both sourcing and sales, with a preference for Spain.
John Gijbels looks at the parsley cultivation in Tarragona
"My parents always holidayed in Catalonia," says John Gijbels, the family business's fourth generation. The company began in 1948 with door-to-door fruit and vegetable sales in the Belgian town of Eindhout. "When my father saw the fertile fields of citrus and cauliflower in Tarragona, it made sense to partner with Catalan growers."
When you stroke mint with your hands, the air is filled with a wonderful scent...
The company now has a warehouse and grows a wide range of citrus, open-field vegetables, and herbs on 150 hectares in Spain. "We cultivate everything that thrives here and is in demand, from clementines for local supermarkets to herbs for German customers," John explains.
Focus on Spanish farm and quality
Spain lies at the heart of Euro Gijbels' operations, with 30% of the yields from that country going to Belgian wholesalers. The rest is sold to Spanish and other European customers. Their wholesale company in Geel, Belgium, focuses on supermarkets and offers some 2,000 fresh products. The other called 't Vitamientje in Hasselt, Belgium, mainly serves the hospitality sector.
Part of the young crop was washed away or drowned by the heavy rain and large amounts of water at the beginning of November
Their citrus assortment, sold under the Krisje brand, ranges from Clemenules and Tango to Valencia oranges. "There's not much demand for Orri, so we don't grow it," John points out. Stef Minten, buyer/seller at Euro Gijbels, adds: "Countries such as Egypt compete with lower costs, but we believe in the superior quality of the Spanish products superior quality. It also supports our cultivation and growers."
Young leaf parsley on a plot in Tarragona
Rising demand for fresh
The demand for Spanish clementines is on the rise in markets like Scandinavia and the Balkans. Notable: Flemish customers prefer clementines with a fresh green leaf, a sign of freshness. Besides citrus, Euro Gijbels also supplies loose field vegetables, such as cauliflower, leeks, and celery, mainly to packing plants for Western European supermarkets.
The company's herb range is expanding, too. They grow curly parsley all winter and recently added mint and coriander. "Tarragona's climate is ideal. We're considering whether we can add other herbs in the spring," Stef says.
Climate challenges and resilience
The weather plays an increasingly important role. In late 2023, heavy rains in regions such as Catalonia and Valencia damaged citrus orchards and vegetable fields. "Fields were flooded, and seedlings washed away. That caused shortages in January and February," John says. In citrus, the company had to switch to Clemenules early because the rain disrupted the Oronules season. "We had to cherry-pick, and it cost more, but we could, at least, keep delivering."
Regardless of these challenges, John remains optimistic. "The recent rains, after years of drought, bring uncertainty. We, however, see it as an opportunity to learn how to improve the crop further. The next few months will make us wiser," he concludes.
John Gijbels
Euro Gijbels
Cami de les Arenes s/n
43300 Mont-roig del Camp
Tarragona - Spanje
[email protected]
www.eurogijbels.be