Long-stemmed mini broccoli - that is how you might describe Bimi® broccoli when seeing this vegetable for the first time. There is just something a little different about this broccoli. That makes it popular among foodies and meal box suppliers. Bimi® broccoli is now also being grown in the Netherlands. And the first locally-grown harvest is now in supermarkets.
This vegetable has become very popular in recent years. That is thanks, in part, to its easy, versatile preparation, healthy benefits, and flavor. It is also called asparagus broccoli, baby broccoli, or broccolini. Sakata Seeds owns the Bimi® broccoli brand. Using traditional breeding techniques, this seed breeding company took years to develop this unique vegetable. In Europe, Coregeo holds the Bimi® broccoli master license.
Bimi® broccoli is available year-round. It is cultivated in, among other countries, Kenya, Morocco, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In 2020, its availability was expanded to include the Dutch-grown product. Brassica grower Nico Hoogendoorn began cultivating Bimi® broccoli at his company Dutch Valley Vegetables this year. For this, he entered into an exclusive partnership with Nature's Pride.
Licensee Nature's Pride works with Coregeo and Sakata to import and export this product. "We grow 340 hectares of broccoli, cauliflower, and red and white cabbage. My father started cultivating broccoli back in the 80s. That has always been our main product. We produce between 230 and 250 hectares of it. We market all our products via the Oxin Growers co-op," says Nico.
Partnering with Nature's Pride
Nico had been interested in Bimi®broccoli for some time. It fits in well with Dutch Valley Vegetables' other brassica varieties. It has also been gaining increasing popularity in recent years. The right moment arrived last year. "In part, because of Brexit and COVID-19, which affected imports. I heard there was room for a Dutch product in the summer. So we contacted Nature's Pride and entered into this collaboration. It's not the first time we've tried something new. But it's the first time we've done so on this scale."
Trying to grow Bimi® broccoli was not an option for him. "There are several growers who've tried. They were enthusiastic but got stuck in the experimentation phase. We want to see how we can optimize cultivating and harvesting this broccoli variety. We now have a group of people working full-time on it. We've planted ten hectares and will probably expand that a little next year. We're truly going for it. Cultivation is still in the test phase and our initial partnership is for three years."
Challenging cultivation, with potential
Bimi® broccoli's potential and challenges are becoming ever clearer to Nico and his team. Demand should continue to grow, which benefits sales. Local products are also becoming more popular. This is offset by how labor-intensive this farming is. Nico knew that beforehand. And since Bimi broccoli is a brand, stringent quality requirements have to be met.
"That's now been confirmed in practice. One thing we didn't foresee is that the plants bloom in summer. That may have been due to the relatively cold, wet summer. You have to pick these flowers and harvest the stalks by hand. It was a lot of extra work, almost as much as our entire regular broccoli acreage. Also, the yield isn't yet quite what we'd hoped," Hoogendoorn continues.
The amount of work may seem daunting, he admits. But, it is not deterring Nico. "I see the good side. A new project invigorates you, and I like taking on challenges. It can only get better. It helps that our company is already fully equipped for brassicas. And that's where our knowledge and experience lie too."
"To produce Bimi® broccoli, we only had to buy an extra harvesting belt and a new flow packer. We assume we'll get around to optimizing the cultivation and harvest. Bimi® broccoli has a bright future. Also, it should contribute positively to Dutch Valley Vegetables' further development," Nico says.
Care and attention, but with good prospects
Theresa Richards is Bimi® broccoli's Marketing Manager. She says, "Nico's passion, energy, and commitment are exactly what we want to see in our growers. Sakata agricultural experts are supporting Nico in his Bimi® broccoli journey. We hope to see both higher crop yields and an extension of the Dutch season next year."
"As Nico points out, Bimi® broccoli is a crop that needs considerable care and attention. But demand is high, and it has good prospects. We work closely with our licensed partners, like Nature's Pride, to bring this broccoli variety to the market. And we're delighted that we can now also offer Dutch production," Theresa concludes. (CH)