Spring has sprung and what goes along better with the sun than strawberries? In the morning of the 5th of March, the first strawberries were purchased at Veiling Hoogstraten. A 2kg box of the Clery variety were supplied by grower Frank Boeren.
The first sale of the new strawberry season went to Carrefour at the price of €400 per 200g. Veiling Hoogstraten sold nothing less than 31,000 tonnes of strawberries in 2012, primarily the Elsanta variety which set an undeniable record.
A slight increase in production in 2013 is expected. "You can go around the world one and a half times with 31,000 tonnes and that is three times the weight of the Eiffel tower," says Jan Engelen. "We have experienced steady growth ever year and we expect a 10% increase this year. A volume of 33,000 tonnes is achievable but everything depends on the weather. The area of our greenhouses was expanded which means that from next year on, we will be able to supply strawberries year round."
This year is the 80th year Veiling Hoogstraten has been operating. The clock has been pivotal since 1933 and has been operating ever since. "We still have 100% trust in the transparency system. Strawberries are one of the main products at the auction and makes up 48% of the turnover. The volume has risen from 4,000 tonnes to nearly 31,000 tonnes. Other core products are tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers."
Alongside the sale of the first strawberries, a Hoogstraten strawberry cake was presented by vzw Kroonbakkers. They took care of the breakfast with zeal during the sale of the first Hoogstraten strawberries.
True to tradition, producers donated all of the proceeds from their first sale to charity. The profit was doubled along with the contribution on behalf of strawberry growers. The amount of 8,000 Euro was handed over to representatives of the Vlaamse Alzheimer Liga, which is a society by and for family members and family caregivers of people with dementia.
(www.alzheimerliga.be)
Carrefour is really happy with the first strawberries: "We are especially proud that we were able to be the first to buy strawberries at Veiling Hoogstraten and launch the Belgian strawberry season. Our philosophy is to offer as many Belgian products to Belgian producers and to give support whenever possible with respect to the seasons. We try to be as close as we can to producers, but also to our customers. With our three store formats (hypermarkten Carrefour, Carrefour market and Carrefour express) we have an answer to every shopping need. The fact that we could help contribute to a charity is an extra bonus!"
Carrefour is really happy with the first strawberries: "We are especially proud that we were able to be the first to buy strawberries at Veiling Hoogstraten and launch the Belgian strawberry season. Our philosophy is to offer as many Belgian products to Belgian producers and to give support whenever possible with respect to the seasons. We try to be as close as we can to producers, but also to our customers. With our three store formats (hypermarkten Carrefour, Carrefour market and Carrefour express) we have an answer to every shopping need. The fact that we could help contribute to a charity is an extra bonus!"
The representatives from the Vlaamse Alzheimer Liga are very grateful for this generous gift. What are they going to do with the donation? "We could really use the money to support family caregivers and for organising various meeting and study days," says Hilde Lamers, director of the Vlaamse Alzheimer Liga.
There was a raffle for a hot air balloon ride for those who were present
Visitors could enjoy a delicious breakfast
Veiling Hoogstraten is planning a lot of activities this year such as the International Strawberry Congress, the Festival container and the project called FitFitHoera. There are also various radio and TV commercials in the works. The hot air balloon will be replaced after six years and the new strawberry logo will be put on this new balloon. As of last year, Hoogstraten strawberries has its own Facebook page and it already has 1,440 fans. A renovation is taking place at the auction at the moment. Old hangars are being transformed into an ultra modern strawberry loading bay. This is an investment of 2.5 million and should be realised around April. Hoogstraten will also be present at local and international conventions.