"There are plenty of opportunities in the top fruit sector," says Maurits van de Water of the similarly-named Dutch fruit company that cultivates, sorts, and packs pears. He specifically mentions local sales - especially for Dutch apples that are hardly exported - and market-oriented cultivation. The fruit grower sees room for things like specializing in free varieties or club concepts. Along with Conference, he has 20 hectares of Sweet Sensation, a club variety marketed by The Greenery.
"Sweet Sensation's tasty large pears ripen soft, and the trees need minimal thinning, so they're handled less. Also, the Conference acreage is still expanding considerably, including in Eastern Europe. Its market space and profitability will, thus, not remain as they are. We're, therefore, pinning our hope on the club variety."
For Maurits, here, centralized sales are crucial. Another aspect that determines profitability is the pack-out which he says can vary by batch and grower. "But you can sell the entire crop, and we have buyers for all the classes. So we can maintain the correct pack-out across the board. And we get better average prices," he explains.
Distinctive
Maurits also sees that Sweet Sensation pears – delivered from mid-October after being stored for a short time to enhance their flavor - are popular with retailers and greengrocers throughout Europe who want something different. "Sweet Sensation has already proven itself distinctive. You initially have to prove that, but the market and our clients clearly show we've managed to do just that."
For general top fruit and, especially, Sweet Sensation cultivation, location is an essential consideration, says the grower. Certainly, given how much the climate is changing. "Besides water, the growing region is increasingly important, especially for Sweet Sensation. The nights can't be too cold if you want this variety to go into production faster. So plots in the lee, with minimal cold nights in March to May, benefit these trees and the pears' color and texture," Maurits concludes.
Van de Water fruit Group
Locatie Waalwijk
Overstortweg 9
5145 PT Waalwijk
M +31 (0) 651 890327
maurits@waterfruit.nl
www.waterfruit.nl
The Greenery Growers
Ton van Wiggen
+31 (0)180 656 945
+31 (0)654 378 700
t.vanwiggen@thegreenery.com