Keelings International Ltd, a branch of its Irish parent company, has been based in the Netherlands for three years now. We spoke to Leon Hijweege and Ed Heijnen about the pineapple, melon, and soft fruit market developments.
Ed Heijnen and Leon Hijweege
Pineapples
The company bought a farm in Las Brisas, Costa Rica, three years ago. It spans 900 hectares, of which 200 are rainforest. "We recently put much effort into renewing the crop, and production is already much more consistent. So, this year, we're offering better-colored pineapples under the Kol'or brand. Next year, we're going to focus more on organic and fair trade pineapples," begins Leon.
"The pineapple market was good until September, but then it deteriorated. This market's usually slightly tougher at this time of year, but sales and prices lag terribly. Supply isn't driving those lower prices either; lower demand is. Though, that usually begins to rise toward the holidays. But, we've sold well ahead anyway."
"Our direct sailings to Livorno [in Italy] and Algeciras [in Spain] means we've also considerably expanded our exports to southern Europe. Our pineapples have good internal quality and value for money, so we're building nicely diversified portfolios with food service, retail and wholesale customers. Plus, demand from processors who appreciate our product is on the rise," explains Leon.
Melons
"The Brazilian melon market is far better balanced than in previous years. The sky-high sea freight costs, in particular, combined with the unfavorable dollar, have driven up cost prices tremendously. As a result, far fewer melons have been planted and shipped. So, this season's market is far better balanced, although demand hasn't increased. Christmas is usually always good for melon sales, but it remains difficult to assess whether grower productions will peak then too," adds Ed.
He says there is a clear trend among many European retailers to shrink their melon ranges. "Instead of both Galia and Cantaloupe, they now offer only one of these. Sales analyses showed that one melon sometimes got in the way of the other, and shoppers made clear choices. That proves that melons remain a difficult winter item for supermarkets."
Soft fruit
Regarding soft fruit, Keelings International is developing considerably, too, in line with its parent company. "We want to position ourselves sharply and distinctively on the European soft fruit market," continues Ed. "For example, we've made great strides in sustainable packaging and we've developed fully recyclable packaging for blueberries to replace the small buckets."
It is a challenging season for Dutch greenhouse cultivation. "The October temperatures didn't do volumes any good in November. The high strawberry prices reflect that. Demand's not even that high, but supply's very limited. We expect to close the greenhouse season in three weeks and start Mediterranean production from Greece, Morocco, and Spain, focusing mainly on European products," Ed concludes.
For more information:
Leon Hijweege / Ed Heijnen
Keelings International
40 Handelsweg
2988 DW, Ridderkerk, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 634 505 152
Email: Leon_Hijweege@keelings.com
Website: www.keelings.com